LIBRA^RY 


OF  THE 


Theological   Seminary, 

PRINCETON,    N.  J. 

Cuse,:_ .Qlv  i  sj  p  n 

Shelf.  SectiGn 

Booh, No:.,:. 


'V^ 


60C 
305  \ 


THE 


BETHEL  FLAG; 


SERIES  OF  SHORT  DISCOURSES  TO  SEAMEN. 


GARDINER    SPRING,    D.D., 

PASTOR   OF  THE  BRICK  PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH  IN  THE   CITY   OP   NEW  YORK. 


NEW  YORK: 
BAKER  AND  SCRIBNER 

36  PARK  ROW  AND  145  NASSAU  STREET. 
1848. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1847,  by 

BAKER    &    SCRIBNER, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for 

the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


THOMAS    B.    SMITH,    STKRKOTYPER,  S.    W.   BENEDICT,    PRINTER, 

216  WILLIAM  STREET,  N.  Y.  16   SPRUCE   STREET. 


CONTENTS 


Page. 
DAY,    AT   SEA 7 

SERMON  I. 

THE    SABBATH   AT    SEA. 
Psalm  xxvi.  8.     Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house, 
and  the  place  where  thine  honor  dwelleth        -       -       -       -      14 

SERMON  II. 

GOD      ALMIGHTY. 
Genesis  xvii,  1.     I  am  the  Almighty  God    -----      24 

SERMON  m. 

THE    sinner's    friend.        - 
Matthew  ix.  19.    A  friend  to  sinners   -        -        -        -       -       •      34 

SERMON  IV. 

unbelievers  without  hope.    -- 
Ephesians  ii.  12,     Having  no  hope      -----        .      46 

SERMON  V. 

the  curse  of  abandonment  reluctantly  executed. 
Hosea  ii.  8.     How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  1    How  shall  I 
deUver  thee,  Israel  1    How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah,  and 
set  thee  as  Zeboim  1         .----.--55 

SERMON  VI. 

sin  detected  and  exposed. 
Numbers  xxxii.  23.    And  be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out       -      65 


iv  CONTENTS. 

Page. 

SERMON  VII. 

THE    GREAT    ALTERNATIVE. 
Mark  xvi.  16.    He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved; 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned         -        -        -        -      76 

SERMON  VIII. 

FEAR    RELIEVED    BY    TRUST    IN    GOD. 
Psalm  Ixvi.  3.    At  what  time  I  am  afraid,  I  will  trust  in  thee      -      85 

SERMON  IX. 

THE    TERMS    OF   DISCIPLESHTP. 
Matthew  xvi.  24.     Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man 
will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  me 97 

SERMON  X. 

THE   BRAZEN    SERPENT. 
John  iii.  14,  15.    As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness, 
even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up  ;  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life       -        -    106 

SERMON  XL 

ALL     IS    WELL.      — 
Mark  vii.  37.    He  hath  done  all  things  well        -        -       -       -    118 

SERMON  XII. 

REMEMBRANCE    OF    SIN. 
Ezekiel  xvi.  63.    That  thou  mayest  remember,  and  be  confounded, 
and  never  again  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because  of  thy  shame, 
when  I  am  pacified  toward  thee  for  all  that  thou  hast  done       -    129 

SERMON  XIII. 

RUNNING    FOR    THE    PRIZE. 
Corinthians  ix.  24.     So  run  that  ye  may  obtain  -        -        -        -    140 

SERMON  XIV. 

AGGRAVATIONS    OF    SIN. 
Luke  xii.  48.     And  that  servant  which  knew  his  Lord's  will,  and 
prepared  not  himself,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be 
beaten  with  many  stripes.     But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  com- 
mit things  Worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes   -    150 


CONTENTS.  ▼ 

SERMON  XV.  "^ 

CONSCIOUS    INTEGRITY  A  PRESERVATIVE    FROM   EVIL. 
Psalm  XXV.  21.    Let  integrity  and  uprightness  preserve  me  -        -    165 

SERMON  XVI. 

DEATH    ON    BOARD    THE    SHIP. 
Isaiah  xl.  6.    The  voice  said,  Cry.    And  he  said,  What  shall  I 
cry  1    AH  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the 
flower  of  the  field    - 175 

SERMON  XVn. 

RESTRAINING    PRAYER. 
Job  XV.  4.    And  restrainest  prayer  before  God     -        -        -        -    182 

SERMON  XVm. 

THE  FEAR  OF  GOD  THE  GREAT  PRESERVATIVE  FROM  SIN. 
Nehemiah  v.  15.     But  so  did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God    -    193 

SERMON  XIX. 

THE    WANDERER    RESTORED. 
Psalm  xxiii.  3.     He  restoreth  my  soul :  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths 
of  righteousness  for  his  name's  sake        .....    201 

SERMON  XX. 

god's  call  REFUSED. 
Proverbs  i.  24 — 31.  Because  I  have  called,  and  ye  refused ;  I 
have  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  regarded  •,  but  ye  have 
set  at  nought  all  my  counsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof;  T 
also  will  laugh  at  your  calamity ;  I  will  mock  when  your  fear 
Cometh;  when  your  fear  cometh  as  desolation,  and  your  de- 
struction Cometh  as  a  whirlwind ;  when  distress  and  anguish 
cometh  upon  you :  then  shall  ye  call  upon  me,  but  I  will  not 
answer ;  they  shall  seek  me  early,  but  shall  not  find  me ;  for 
that  they  hated  knowledge,  and  did  not  choose  the  fear  of  the 
Lord :  they  would  none  of  my  counsel ;  they  despised  all  my* 
reproof:  therefore  shall  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way, 
and  be  filled  with  their  own  devices.  For  the  turning  away  of 
the  simple  shall  slay  them,  and  the  prosperity  of  fools  shall  de- 
stroy them -'    212 


CONTENTS. 


Page, 


SERMON  XXI. 

THE   NIGHT   OF   TEARS,    AND   THE   MORNING   OF.  JOY. 
Psalm  XXX.  5.    Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night ;  but  joy  cometh 
in  the  morning        __.-----.    228 

SERMON  XXII. 

ROOM   ENOUGH   YET. 

Luke  xiv.  23.    And  yet  there  is  room  ------    239 

SERMON  XXin. 

THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD  IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN    LIFE. 
Psalm  xci.  16.    With  long  life  will  I  satisfy  him  -        -       -       -    246 

SERMON  XXIV. 

TRUE   AND   FALSE   REPENTANCE. 

Psalm  li.  3.  For  I  acknowledge  my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is 
ever  before  me.    And 

Matthew  xxvii.  3.  Then  Judas  which  had  betrayed  him,  when  he 
saw  that  he  was  condemned,  repented  himself,  and  brought  again 
the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying, 
I  have  sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood  -       -    260 

SERMON  XXV. 

HHE   EXCUSES   OF   MEN   THEIR   CONDEMNATION. 
Luke  xiv.  18.    And  they  all,  with  one  consent,  began  to  make 
excuse _-    278 

SERMON  XXVI. 

SCRIPTURAL   VIEWS    OF   CHRIST. 
Matthew  xxii.  12.    What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?    -        -       •       -    292 

THE   BURIAL   OF   THE   DEAD 307 


THE   BETHEL   FLAG. 


PRAYERS 


KELIGIOUS  SERVICES  OF  THE  LORD'S  DAY,  AT  SEA. 


A  Short  Introductory  Prayer  at  the  beginning  of  the  Service,  and 
immediately  before  Reading  the  Scriptures. 

O  Lord  God,  the  Creator,  the  Preserver,  and  the 
Redeemer  of  men !  we  thine  unworthy  servants,  sep- 
arated in  thy  providence  from  the  privileges  of  thy 
Sanctuary,  are  here  met  to  worship  before  thy  great 
and  holy  throne.  We  thank  thee  for  this  opportunity  ; 
and  that  the  throne  at  which  we  bow  is  a  throne  of 
grace.  In  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  we  ap- 
proach thee ;  and  since  he  has  said,  "  Wherever  two, 
or  three,  are  met  together  in  my  name,  there  am  I  in 
the  midst  of  them,"  do  thou  grant  us  thy  presence  in 
these  services,  that  we  may  worship  thee  with  reverence 
and  godly  fear,  to  our  own  profit  and  thy  glory.    Amen ! 


\^Here  let  a  portion  of  the  Scriptures  be  read.] 

[Then  let  there  be  offered  the  following  General  Prayer.] 

Lord,  thou  art  God,  that  hast  made  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,,  the  sea  and  the  dry  land.     From  everlastmg 


8  PRAYERS. 

to  everlasting,  thou  art  God  alone.  Thy  greatness 
knows  no  bounds,  thy  perfections  are  infinite,  thy  ex- 
istence has  no  beginning,  and  will  have  no  end.  O 
Lord,  we  have  heard  thy  speech,  and  were  afraid.  He 
stood  and  measured  the  earth ;  he  beheld  and  drove 
asunder  the  nations;  and  the  everlasting  mountains 
were  scattered,  the  perpetual  hills  did  bow :  his  ways 
are  everlasting.  The  mountains  saw  thee,  and  they 
trembled ;  the  overflowing  of  the  water  passed  by :  the 
deep  utters  his  voice,  and  lifts  up  his  hands  on  high. 
We  cannot  flee  from  thy  Spirit,  nor  escape  from  thy 
presence ;  for  thou  fillest  heaven  and  earth,  and  the 
whole  universe  subsists  in  thee  as  in  a  boundless  ocean. 
Thou  art  holy  in  thyself,  thy  name  is  holy,  thy  law  is 
holy,  thy  day  is  holy,  and  thou  art  holy  in  all  thy  works. 
Holy,  holy,  holy  is  the  Lord  God  of  hosts ;  the  whole 
earth  is  full  of  his  glory.  And  so  is  the  great  and  wide 
sea.  Thou  art  not  a  God  that  hast  pleasure  in  wicked- 
ness, neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  thee ;  the  foolish  shall 
not  stand  in  thy  sight ;  thou  hatest  all  the  workers  of 
iniquity.  Thou  art  good,  and  the  source  of  all  good  to 
creatures.  The  earth  is  full  of  thy  goodness  and 
bounty.  What  goodness,  what  bounty,  to  ^be  thus  be- 
stowed upon  man  who  is  a  worm,  and  the  son  of  man 
who  is  a  worm !  Thou  art  gracious,  and  long-suffering, 
and  slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  kindness.  The  mercy 
of  the  Lord  endureth  forever.  We  ourselves  are 
witnesses  of  all  these  things.  We  are  living,  O  make 
us  the  grateful  observers  of  this  thy  greatness  and 
goodness,  and  grant  that  we  may  so  live  as  to  show  forth 
thy  praise.  Thanks,  great  God,  and  praise  be  to  thee 
from  all  thy  creatures,  that  thou  hast  thus  made  known 
thy  great  and  worthy  name  ! 


PRAYERS.  9 

O  God,  we  humbly  bow  down  before  thee ;  we  worship 
thee  as  the  God  in  whose  hand  our  breath  is,  and  whose 
are  all  our  ways.  We  are  dependent  upon  thee ;  we 
are  thy  creatures,  thy  servants,  thy  property.  All  we 
have  and  are,  are  thy  gifts  ;  O  make  us  thine  affection- 
ate and  dutiful  children — the  children  of  God,  by  faith 
in  Jesus  Christ.  For  we  are  sinners  before  thee,  O 
Lord,  and  are  fallen  by  our  iniquity.  We  are  prone 
to  evil  as  the  sparks  fly  upward  ;  we  have  been  tempted 
to  evil,  and  we  have  yielded  to  the  temptation ;  in 
thought,  word,  and  deed,  we  have  committed  iniquity ; 
we  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee,  and 
are  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  children. 

Yet  is  thy  mercy  great  unto  the  heavens,  and  thy 
faithfulness  reacheth  unto  the  clouds.  Who,  O  Lord, 
is  a  strong  Lord  like  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  faithful- 
ness round  about  thee  !  Thy  Son  has  descended  for 
our  salvation ;  God  himself  has  become  man ;  in- 
finite power  has  put  on  human  weakness ;  infinite 
holiness  has  assumed  human  guilt ;  infinite  blessedness 
has  taken  upon  him  our  woes ;  he  who  was  rich,  for 
our  sakes  became  poor,  that  we,  through  his  poverty, 
might  become  rich.  For  thy  name's  sake,  O  Lord,  and 
for  the  love  and  sufferings  of  thy  Son,  pardon  our  in- 
iquity, for  it  is  great.  Sanctify  us  by  thy  Holy  Spirit ; 
restrain  and  keep  us  from  evil,  by  thy  good  providence ; 
guard  us  from  the  abominable  thing  which  thy  soul 
hateth ;  keep  us  from  falling,  and  preserve  us  to  thy 
heavenly  kingdom. 

It  is  in  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies,  O  God, 
that  we  this  day  worship  thee.  What  shall  we  render 
unto  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits  towards  us?  We 
thank  thee  especially  that  thou  hast  kept  us  in  safety  thus 


1(0  PRAYERS. 

far,  while  we  have  been  upon  the  mighty  waters.  We 
are  prospered,  only  as  God  prospers  us ;  we  are  safe, 
only  as  God  keeps  us.  O  thou  who  carriest  the  waters 
in  the  hollow  of  thy  hand,  make  us  all  still  the  objects 
of  thy  care.  Guard  us  from  death,  accident,  and  sick- 
ness. From  enemies,  and  tempest,  and  adverse  prov- 
idences, and  contrary  winds  protect  us.  Preserve  the 
ship  that  bears  us  on  our  way ;  bless  her  owners,  her 
officers,  and  her  crew,  and  make  her  way  and  her  end 
prosperous.  Restore  us  all  to  our  much  loved  land  in 
safety  and  mercy,  and  gratefully  impressed  with  thy 
goodness.  Spread  the  shield  of  thy  guardianship  and 
love  over  those  we  have  left  behind  us ;  and  let  not 
calamity  or  death  in  any  form  invade  them,  or  come 
up  into  their  chambers.  Look  in  mercy  upon  all 
who  sail  on  the  ocean,  and  grant  that  the  perils  to 
which  they  are  exposed  may  be  avoided,  the  blessings 
they  need  may  be  vouchsafed  to  them,  the  fear  of  God 
be  before  their  eyes,  and  the  multitude  who  dwell  on 
the  ocean  may  be  turned  unto  thee. 

Grant,  O  God,  that  we  thy  servants  may  live  mindful 
of  our  last  end.  May  we  listen  to  the  voice  of  thy 
providence,  and  thy  word,  which  teaches  us  that  man's 
days  are  as  an  hand's  breath  ;  and  when  this  boisterous 
and  short  voyage  of  human  life  is  over,  O  receive  us 
into  thy  heavenly  kingdom,  and  thine  own  everlasting 
rest.  All  we  ask  is  in  the  name  of  Christ,  thy  Son, 
who  is  worthy,  with  the  Father  and  the  Spirit,  to  re- 
ceive everlasting  praises.     Amen. 


Here  read  a  Sermon  and  then  conclude  with  the  following  Prayer. 


O  Thou  that  art  the  God  of  all  the  earth,  and  of  them 


PRAYERS.  11 

that  are  afar  off  upon  the  sea.    We  once  more  come  to 
thy  mercy  seat  to  bless  thee  for  the  privileges  we  have 
enjoyed  on  this  holy  day ;  to  implore  thy  blessing ;  and 
to  beg  thee  to  give  testimony  to   the  word  of  thy 
grace.     O  God,  who  art  so  high  above  all  thy  creatures, 
that  they  are  but  as  worms  before  thee,  thou  hast  done 
great  things  for  us,  for  which  we  render  praise  to  thy 
great  name.     Not  only  dost  thou  care  for  us,  and  keep 
us  in  safety  here  upon  the  mighty  deep,  and  open  thy 
hand  every  day  to  supply  our  wants;  but  thou  dost 
not  cease  to  watch  over  our  souls.     Thou  hast  given 
thy  Son  to  die  for  us ;  thou  hast  once  more  knocked 
at  the  door  of  our  hearts ;  and  thou  hast  condescended 
to  impart  solemn  thoughts  to  our  minds,  so  that  we  are 
left  without  excuse.     O  that  thou  wouldst  make  us 
faithful  to  follow  the  instructions  of  thy  holy  word,  and 
wise  unto  salvation  !     We  have  lived  more  for  earth, 
than  for  heaven  ;  for  the  world,  than  for  eternity ;  for 
ourselves,  than  for  thee.     Do  not  suffer  us,  we  beseech 
thee,  to  be  so  occupied  by  the  cares,  and  labors  of  this 
present  life,  as  to  lose  sight  of  that  eternal  life  which 
is  beyond  the  grave.     But  rather  may  we  live  every 
day,  so  that  if  the  Son  of  Man  should  say  to  us.  This 
night  thy  soul  shall  be  required  of  thee  ;  we  may  be 
prepared  to  stand  before  him. 

We  confess  and  mourn  the  sins  that  separate  us  from 
thee.  Henceforth  may  we  be  kept  from  sinning  against 
thee.  Grant  us  thy  grace.  Teach  us  to  choose  thee 
as  our  portion  and  refuge  ;  to  hope  in  none  but  thee  ; 
to  live  for  none  but  thee.  Thou  art  the  Good  Shep- 
herd, from  whom  we  have  erred  and  strayed  like  lost 
sheep,  but  who  dost  gather  the  wanderers  with  thine 
arm  and  lead  them  into  the  fold.     Have  us  still  in  thy 


12  PRAYERS. 

holy  keeping ;  this  day,  this  night,  this  week  preserve 
us.  Keep  us  from  all  danger,  and  guard  us  by  thy 
watchful  providence.  Teach  us  to  be  content  with 
the  allotment  which  thou  hast  assigned  to  us.  Give  us 
strength  and  courage  for  all  our  duty  and  our  dangers, 
and  bless  the  work  of  our  hands.  May  we  never  for- 
get that  we  are  always  under  thine  eye,  and  may  the 
thought  of  thy  presence  lead  us  to  every  good  word 
and  work.  May  we  study  to  be  useful  to  one  another, 
and  so  promote  one  another's  best  good.  May  good  or- 
der, peace  and  harmony  pervade  our  crew.  O  God,  par- 
don us,  and  sanctify  us,  and  save  us  through  Jesus  Christ, 
in  whom  alone  we  would  place  our  confidence. 

"Our  Father,  who  art  in  jjeaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name !  Thy  kingdom  come  ;  thy  will  be  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  in  heaven !  Give  us  this  day  our  daily  bread. 
Forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  forgive  those  who  tres- 
pass against  us.  Lead  us  not  into  temptation,  but  de- 
liver us  from  evil :  for  thine  is  the  kingdom,  the  power, 
and  the  glory  forever  !" 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love 
of  God  the  Father,  and  the  communion  and  fellowship 
of  the  Hply  Spirit,  be  with  us  all  evermore.     Amen  I 


SERMON  I. 

THE   SABBATH  AT   SEA. 

Psalm  xxvi.  8.     Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house,  and 
the  place  where  thine  honor  dwelleth. 

There  is  a  moral  sublimity  in  a  Sabbath  at  sea. 
The  landsman  conjectures  it,  paints  it ;  while  the  de- 
vout seaman  feels  it ;  there  are  aspirations  here  felt, 
felt  nowhere  else. 

Yet  what  is  it  that  gives  such  sublimity  to  a  Sab- 
bath at  sea  ?  It  is  not  the  mart  of  business  which  we 
here  enter.  Nor  are  they  the  portals  of  science  and 
literature.  Nor  is  it  the  splendid  and  lofty  cathedral ; 
— no,  nor  yet  the  more  simple  and  humble  sanctuary, 
where  far-distant  friends  "  worship,  and  bow  down,  and 
kneel  before  the  Lord,  their  Maker." 

"  Great  objects  consecrate  all  that  is  around  them." 
This  vast  ocean,  this  emblem  of  infinity,  itself  gives 
sublimity  to  the  scene.  Infinite  greatness  and  infinite 
littleness  here  meet.  God,  the  Eternal,  here  conde- 
scends and  bows  to  meet  man,  his  creature,  just  as  the 
vast  heavens  bow  and  meet  the  waters  in  the  distant 
horizon.  Great  and  solemn  associations  are  sublime, 
and  ought  to  inspire  great  and  solemn  thoughts. 

We  worship  him  who  is  the  God  of  all  the  earth,  and 
of  them  that  are  afar  off  upon  the  sea.  How  shall  we 
worship  him  ?    "  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  they  that  worship 


14  THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA. 

him,  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  May 
creatures  of  yesterday,  and  sinners  as  we  are,  hope  to 
worship  him  acceptably  ? 

It  is  no  splendid  and  no  costly  sacrifice  that  he  requires 
of  us.  "  He  giveth  grace  to  the  humble."  *' The  sacri- 
fices of  God  are  a  broken  spirit ;  a  broken  and  a  con- 
trite heart,  O  God,  thou  wilt  not  despise."  No  matter 
where,  nor  by  whom,  such  worship  is  oflfered ;  no  matter 
with  what  grateful,  cheered,  and  gladsome  thoughts  it 
may  be  inmingled  ;  through  that  great  atoning,  interce- 
ding Saviour,  it  goes  up  perfumed  with  incense,  before 
the  throne  of  God.  The  High  and  Lofty  One  who  in- 
habiteth  eternity,  deigns  to  look  upon  us.  He  who 
loveth  the  gates  of  Zion,  does  not  turn  away  from  the 
tents  of  Jacob ;  and  though  it  be  on  the  placid,  or 
billowy  ocean,  "  where  two,  or  three,  are  met  together 
in  his  name,  there  is  he  in  the  midst  of  them." 

"Far  from  home,  and  far  from  land,"  as  we  are, 
which  of  our  bosoms  does  not  respond  to  the  sentiment 
of  the  devout  Psalmist,  when  he  says,  "  I  have  loved 
the  habitation  of  thy  house,  and  the  place  where  thine 
honor  dwelleth !" 

Save  the  "  works  of  necessity  and  mercy,"  the  Sab- 
bath at  sea,  like  the  Sabbath  on  shore,  is,  by  divine 
appointment,  a  day  of  rest.  The  Great  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  of  land  and  ocean,  has  given  to  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  globe  on  which  we  dwell,  one  day's  respite 
out  of  seven  from  the  ordinary  occupations  of  human 
life.  The  Sabbath  was  benevolently  designed  to  bring 
this  stated  relief  from  anxiety  and  toil.  To  a  seaman, 
whose  body  and  mind  are  in  such  a  state  of  perpetual 
excitement — to  this  little  laborious,  working  community 
— such  a  rest  is  like  the  soft  slumbers  of  midnight  when, 


THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA.  15 

in  defiance  of  the  noisy  tempest,  it  covers  with  its 
gentle  folds  an  agitated  and  trembling  mind,  and  a  body- 
overpowered  with  toil.  The  Sabbath  is  the  seaman's 
friend.  Who  can  doubt,  that  one  motive  which  influ- 
enced its  Author  to  institute  it,  was  compassion  to  the 
weary  and  weather-beaten  mariner  ?  Never  does  the 
bright  sun  dawn  more  beautifully,  than  when  he  sheds 
his  rays  upon  a  Sabbath  at  sea. 

No,  it  is  not  in  the  sanctuary  of  our  fathers  that  we 
meet  to-day;  but  it  is  to  worship  our  fathers'  God. 
When  the  Patriarch  Jacob  was  fleeing  from  the  face 
of  Esau,  and  was  on  his  way  to  Padan-aram,  he  tar- 
ried all  night  at  a  place  where  the  God  of  his  fathers, 
Abraham  and  Isaac,  condescended  to  commune  with 
him  as  his  creature  and  child.  And  he  said,  ''  Surely 
the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it  not.  How 
dreadful  is  this  place!  This  is  none  other  but  the 
house  of  God,  and  the  gate  of  heaven."  He  that  was 
with  Jacob  in  the  desert  is  with  us  on  the  sea.  Verily, 
"  it  is  good  to  be  here."  It  is  good  to  see  his  power 
and  glory  as  they  overlay  this  world  of  waters,  to  hear 
his  voice  as  it  whispers  in  the  gentle  wind,  or  speaks 
from  the  dashing  billows.  It  is  good  to  mark  his  pres- 
ence, as  "  the  overflowing  of  the  water  passes  by,  and 
the  deep  utters  his  voice,  and  lifts  up  his  hands  on 
high.'' 

Heathen  deities  are  honored  in  their  places  of  wor- 
ship. Near  their  temples  are  the  groves  sacred  to  their 
foul  idolatries,  and  consecrated  to  their  images  of  gold, 
silver,  brass,  stone,  and  wood.  This  idol  worship  ex- 
tended itself  to  the  great  sanctuary  of  the  sea,  and 
seamen  worshipped  gods  which  their  own  hands  had 
made.    We  are  not  Pagans,  but  Christians,  and  worship 


16  THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA. 

the  only  living  and  true  God.  Why  should  not  we  pay  our 
homage  to  Him,  as  well  as  they  their  insensible  homage 
to  their  more  insensate  idols  ?  It  is  a  privilege  in  which 
he  has  made  us  to  differ  from  them,  that  we  know  him, 
and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  has  sent ;  and  well  may  we 
feel  it  a  privilege  to  express  our  adoring  and  grateful 
thoughts  of  him,  acknowledge  his  claims,  make  con- 
fession of  our  sins,  implore  his  mercy,  and  utter  the 
memory  and  the  praise  of  his  great  goodness.  It  were 
truly  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  a  ship's  company  thus  de- 
voutly honoring  the  God  of  heaven.  It  is  an  affecting 
thought  to  think  of,  and  dwell  upon, — that  the  Great 
God,  before  whom  angels  bow  and  devils  tremble ;  the 
King  eternal,  immortal,  and  invisible,  condescends  to 
accept  this  homage  from  creatures  who  have  so  offended 
him,  and  who  flock  here  around  his  footstool !  There 
is  a  holy  and  heavenly  delight  in  such  a  privilege  as 
this.  There  are  new  and  happy  emotions  within  us  in 
the  enjoyment  of  such  seasons,  and  there  are  outflow- 
ings  of  those  emotions  towards  God  and  man. 

The  moral  and  spiritual  influence  of  the  Sabbath  at 
sea  is  such,  that  every  thoughtful  mind  will  value  it. 
It  assembles  those  who  are  remote  from  better  oppor- 
tunities, to  listen  to  the  instructions  of  God's  word ; 
instructions  that  are  alike  suited  to  the  wise  and  the 
unwise,  to  the  prince  and  the  sailor-boy.  Many  a  ship 
that  sails  the  ocean  has  been  the  chosen  theatre  of  mar- 
vellous displays  of  his  grace.  The  hearts  of  seamen  are 
in  his  hands,  as  well  as  the  hearts  of  landsmen.  It  is 
written  in  his  word,  that  "  the  multitudes  of  the  sea 
shall  be  converted  unto  him."  Here,  as  well  as  else- 
where, he  makes  men  wise  to  salvation.  He  opens  the 
eyes  of  the  blind,  and  makes  them  see ;  he  opens  the 


THE   SABBATH  AT  SEA.  17 

ears  of  the  deaf,  and  makes  them  hear ;  he  awakens 
the  fears  of  the  stupid,  and  makes  them  afraid  ;  he 
softens  the  hearts  of  the  stubborn  and  obdurate,  and 
makes  them  feel.  Many  a  Sabbath  at  sea  has  carried 
Hght  and  conviction  to  the  consciences  of  the  bold  and 
stout-hearted,  thrown  them  into  the  gall  of  bitterness, 
and  made  them  feel  the  bonds  of  their  iniquity.  And 
here,  he  who  thus  wounds,  also  heals  ;  he  who  kills,  also 
makes  alive.  The  Reprover  becomes  the  Comforter ; 
those  who  are  thus  cast  down  are  led  by  him  to  trust 
in  his  grace.  We  have  strong  hopes  of  the  conversion 
and  salvation  of  seamen.  The  vilest  among  them  is 
not  so  corrupt  and  degenerate,  as  to  be  beyond  the  hope 
of  repentance  and  recovery.  "  Whosoever  will,  may 
take  of  the  waters  of  life  freely." 

To  those  whom  we  have  left  behind  us,  the  house  of 
God  is  a  refuge  in  the  time  of  trouble.  It  is  a  sacred 
asylum  ;  a  place  of  protection ;  a  shelter  from  the 
storm  and  a  covert  from  the  tempest.  Seamen  are 
sufferers  as  well  as  other  men.  They  are  used  to  suf- 
fering ;  and  though  it  be  uncomplaining  suffering  before 
men,  many  a  tear  trickles  down  the  cheek  of  the  hardy 
mariner  when  he  is  alone,  and  no  eye  sees  him  but 
God's.  A  Sabbath  at  sea  is  a  delightful  relief  to  the 
sailor,  who  is  the  child  of  misfortune  and  of  sorrow. 
Trouble  sometimes  rushes  in  upon  him  like  mighty 
waters ;  it  drives  him  from  his  much-loved  home,  and 
his  native  shores,  to  seek  a  refuge  amid  the  solitude  of 
the  wide  ocean.  He  may  have  been  the  thoughtless 
and  guilty  cause  of  his  own  sufferings.  And  how  well 
timed  the  relief,  to  find  amid  the  quietude  and  subduing 
privileges  of  a  Sabbath  at  sea,  a  little  Bethel,  where, 
with  one  of  old  he  may  say,  "  Why  art  thou  cast  down, 


18  THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA. 

O  my  soul,  and  why  art  thou  disquieted  within  me  ? 
Hope  thou  in  God ;  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him  who  is 
the  health  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God  !" 

The  seaman  often  has  a  heavy  and  a  broken  heart,  be- 
cause lover  and  friend  are  put  from  him,  and  his  acquaint- 
ance into  darkness.  He  may  be  friendless  and  poor ;  or 
sickness  may  debilitate,  and  pain  agonize  him,  and  he 
may  look  towards  the  dark  ocean  as  his  grave.  How 
sweet  and  soothing  are  the  influences  of  this  day  of 
heavenly  peace  and  mercy  to  such  a  man !  and  how, 
when  such,  or  other  adverse  providences  overshadow 
him,  is  he  counselled  to  bear  in  mind  that  "  These 
light  afflictions  are  but  for  a  moment,"  and  that  if 
rightly  and  religiously  improved,  they  "work  out  for 
him  afar  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  !" 
It  is  well,  when  we  suffer,  that  we  should  feel  that  the 
hand  of  God  is  upon  us,  and  that  he  is  angry  with  us 
for  our  sins  ;  but  it  is  also  well  that  we  should  feel  that 
he  is  a  "  refuge  for  us,  and  a  very  present  help  in  trou- 
ble." And  this  is  one  of  the  chief  lessons  of  the  Sab- 
bath, whether  at  sea,  or  on  shore.  It  is  a  sign  of  peace, 
an  emblem  of  God's  mercy  to  the  suflTering  and  lost,  a 
standing  sign  and  proof,  returning  once  in  every  seven 
days,  of  the  finished  work  of  that  Great  Redeemer, 
who  is  the  helper  of  the  helpless,  and  who  says,  with 
such  unutterable  tenderness,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
who  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  The 
cup  of  adversity  goes  round,  and  no  class  of  men  are 
exempt  from  tasting  it.  Some  drink  deeper  of  it  than 
others  ;  days  of  sighing  and  grief,  and  wearisome  nights 
are  appointed  to  them.  And  when  God  thus  smites 
us,  it  is  vain  to  boast  that  we  care  not  for  it.  There 
is  no  reason,  no  religion,  no  courage  in  this.     But  there 


THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA.  19 

is  courage,  there  is  religion,  there  is  reason,  in  looking 
to  God,  in  trusting  in  God  when  he  smites  us.  "  Though 
he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him  !"  We  cannot  hope 
too  much  from  God.  At  what  time  I  am  "  afraid,  I 
will  trust  in  thee  !"  O  what  a  sweet  and  holy  serenity 
often  comes  over  the  mind,  as  it  is  agitated  with  ap- 
prehension, and  as  it  looks  out  on  the  blackened  skies, 
and  know^s  not  how  soon  the  storm  will  burst,  or  where 
the  bolt  will  fall !  The  Sabbath  at  sea  invites  us  to 
this  repose.  "  Behold,  he  that  keepeth  Israel  shall 
neither  slumber  nor  sleep.  The  Lord  is  thy  keeper, 
the  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand.  The  sun 
shall  not  smite  thee  by  day,  nor  the  moon  by  night. 
The  Lord  shall  preserve  thee  from  all  evil ;  he  shall 
preserve  thy  soul.  The  Lord  shall  preserve  thy  going 
out,  and  thy  coming  in,  from  this  time  forth  and  for 
evermore." 

There  is  still  another  claim  which  the  Sabbath  has 
upon  seamen.  They,  like  other  men,  are  bound  to 
live  to  some  good  purpose  in  the  world.  "  None  of  us," 
saith  the  apostle,  "  liveth  to  himself."  Wherever  they 
go,  whatever  seas  they  traverse,  whatever  islands  they 
touch  at,  and  to  whatever  ports  they  are  bound  in 
Heathen,  Mahomedan,  or  Christian  lands,  it  should  be 
their  great  object  so  to  conduct  themselves,  that  their 
influence  shall  be  for  good,  and  not  for  evil.  Alas  !  how 
much  evil  have  seamen  done  in  our  world  !  "  The  harp, 
and  the  viol,  the  tabret  and  the  pipe,  and  the  wine  have 
been  in  their  feasts,"  and  they  have  "  regarded  not  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  nor  considered  the  operations  of  his 
hands."  That  great  and  dreadful  name,  the  Lord  their 
God,  they  have  treated  with  impious  irreverence ;  and 
with  solemn  oaths  and  blasphemy,  they  '*  have  set  their 


20  THE   SABBATH  AT   SEA. 

mouth  against  the  heavens,  and  their  tongue  has 
walked  through  the  earth."  Not  a  few  of  them  have 
been  examples  of  fiUal  impiety  and  social  insubordina- 
tion ;  and  had  they  been  unrestrained,  would  have  left 
no  law  unreversed,  and  no  scene  of  confusion  unrealized. 
Unreasonable  anger,  and  furious  and  revengeful  pas- 
sions, have  often  led  them  to  deeds  of  violence  which 
have  made  them  the  dread  of  their  fellow-men.  Even 
now,  after  all  the  reform  among  seamen,  if  a  ship-master 
is  looking  for  men,  he  is  sure  to  find  them  in  the  haunts 
of  hcentiousness.  Plunder  ^nd  depredation  also,  too 
often  mark  the  course  of  the  mariner  at  sea,  and  in 
foreign  lands  ;  while  "  their  mouth  speaketh  vanity,  and 
their  right  hand  is  a  hand  of  falsehood."  Now,  this  is 
a  dreadful  influence  to  sail  over  and  send  round  this 
degenerate  world.  Charity  weeps  over  it,  religion  and 
civilization  weep  over  it.  And  it  must  be  changed, 
ere  seamen  live  to  the  great  purposes  of  their  account- 
able and  immortal  existence.  They  little  think  how 
much  they  live  for  the  weal,  or  woe  of  their  fellow- 
men,  and  to  what  extent  they  hold  in  their  hands  the 
destiny  of  thousands.  Every  ship  should  bear  a  health- 
ful moral  influence  to  every  land,  and  every  seaman 
should  be  a  light  shining  in  a  dark  place.  And  what 
is  so  fitted  to  create  and  preserve  such  an  influence  as 
the  Sabbath  at  sea  ?  But  for  the  narrow  and  short- 
sighted, as  well  as  wicked  policy  of  ship-owners  and 
ship-masters,  which  has  so  profaned  this  day  as  to  make 
it  a  day  of  needless,  and  sometimes  augmented  labor ; 
and  where  not  of  labor,  a  day  of  mirth  and  glee  ;  seamen 
mio^ht  have  been  amoncp  the  moral  and  more  useful 
class  of  men.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where 
their   influence  would  not  have  been  welcome,  and 


THE   SABBATH   AT   SEA.  21 

where  it  would  not  have  been  felt  and  gratefully  ac- 
knowledged. Nothing  but  the  Sabbath,  the  Sabbath 
at  sea,  can  make  seamen  the  ornament  and  honor  of 
their  race.  Nothins;  else  can  save  them  from  beinij 
corrupt,  and  the  coriTipters  of  their  fellow-men,  and 
make  them  blessings  and  blessed.  Not  until  the  Sab- 
bath brings  them  under  the  control  of  new  principles 
and  a  new  power,  will  they  become  the  living  exem- 
plifications of  God's  truth  and  love,  the  guardians  of 
his  holiness  and  the  friends  of  their  race. 

"  Lord,  I  have  loved  the  habitation  of  thy  house,  the 
place  where  thine  honor  dwelleth."  Let  us  love  it,  and 
not  the  less  because  we  find  it  here  on  the  broad  ocean. 
It  is  no  splendid  altar  which  we  are  able  here  to  build, 
and  no  costly  offering.  But  let  it  be  the  offering  of 
grateful  and  contrite  hearts,  and  it  will  not  be  despised. 
May  the  sacred  fire  burn  upon  it  long  and  steadily ; 
and  may  He  who  holds  the  winds  in  his  fists,  and  the 
waters  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  accept  our  sacrifices 
and  give  us  his  peace  ! 

We  are  fellow-voyagers  over  the  sea  of  life,  and  to 
the  same  eternal  home.  Let  not  the  God  of  the 
Sabbath  be  dishonored  here,  nor  his  Sabbaths  them- 
selves testify  against  us  !  If  we  hope  for  God's  bless- 
ing, let  us  keep  the  day  holy  to  the  end  of  it.  Let  us 
prize  these  seasons  of  worship,  and  fervently  pray  that 
they  may  fit  us  for  that  world  where  there  is  no  temple, 
and  where  there  is  no  more  sea  !  Wherever  we  go,  let 
us  make  it  appear  that  the  Sabbath  is  "  our  delight,  holy 
of  the  Lord,  honorable ;"  and  by  our  exemplary  ob- 
servance of  it,  and  cheerful  pei'formance  of  its  duties, 
enjoy  its  blessings  ourselves,  and  extend  them  to  our 
fellow-men. 


22  THE   SABBATH  AT  SEA. 

The  Sabbath !  how  rich  in  mercy  is  the  very  name 
of  this  heaven-born  day  !  What  unequalled  blessings 
follow  in  in  its  train !  How  noiseless  its  tread  upon 
the  retiring  footsteps  of  the  busy  week  !  How  welcome 
the  indications  of  its  return,  hushing  the  din  of  this 
world's  strife  and  toil ;  and  as  the  setting  sun  goes 
down,  whispers  in  the  ear  of  unthinking  man  that  the 
appointed  day  of  rest  approaches !  How  seasonable 
its  intimations  that  it  is  befitting  him  to  dismiss  his 
cares,  and  prepare  himself  for  an  interview  with  his 
Maker  !  And  when  the  sound  of  the  midnight  bell 
falls  on  a  slumbering  world,  and  the  watchman's  cry 
tells  the  departed  hour,  it  seems  as  it  were  the  response 
of  Heaven's  glad  tidings,  the  song  of  the  heavenly 
Watchers'  repeated,  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ;  on 
earth  peace,  and  good  will  to  men."  And  as  the  Sab- 
bath's dawn  advances,  how  many  delightful,  thrilling 
reminiscences  crowd  upon  the  soul !  A  voice  from 
Sinai  seems  to  say  to  us.  This  is  the  day  of  God;  re- 
member it,  and  keep  it  holy.  Bethlehem's  shepherds  tell 
of  a  Saviour  born ;  Calvary  announces  a  Saviour  cru- 
cified; the  empty  sepulchre  of  Joseph  proclaims  a 
Saviour  risen  from  the  dead.  "  The  Lord  is  risen  in- 
deed," and  comes  to-day  to  dwell  with  men  on  the  earth. 
And  then,  how  many  doff  the  armor  of  the  world,  and 
put  on  the  panoply  of  heaven.  If  you  listen,  you  seem 
to  hear  the  supplications  of  ten  thousand  closets.  And 
if  you  cast  your  eyes  over  the  habitations  of  men,  you 
will  see  that  on  every  dwelling-place  of  Mount  Zion 
"  the  Lord  creates  a  fire  and  smoke."  And  if  you  take 
a  wider  survey  still,  what  do  you  behold  but  temples 
scattered  over  hill-top  and  vale,  and  the  incense  of 
prayer  and  praise,  ascending  as  a  sweet-smelling  savor 


THE  SABBATH  AT  SEA.  23 

from  earth  to  heaven  ?  O  when  shall  the  ocean  prize 
this  best  of  all  the  days  of  time !  and  when,  from  its 
wild  waters,  shall  the  sons  of  the  ocean  waft  their 
praise  on  the  breeze  that  fans  the  remotest  shore ! 
Why  shall  not  seamen  enjoy  the  blessing  in  common 
with  those  who  dwell  on  the  land  ?  Why  shall  not 
every  sailor's  heart  be  an  altar ;  every  cabin,  every 
steerage,  and  every  forecastle  a  closet ;  every  ship 
a  floating  chapel ;  and  the  Bethel  Flag  become  the 
universal  signal  that  the  God  of  heaven  has  a  dwelling 
among  those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  to  do 
business  in  the  great  waters ! 


SERMON  II. 

GOD    ALMIGHTY. 

Genesis  xvii.  1.     I  am  the  Almighty  God. 

Matter  is  powerless ;  itself  moves,  and  also  moves 
other  things,  only  as  it  is  moved  by  mind.  We  do  in- 
deed see  prodigious  agencies  in  the  material  world. 
There  is  the  agency  of  the  mechanical  powers;  the 
agency  of  steam,  and  of  the  elements.  But  they  are 
all  to  be  traced  up  to  the  prior  agency  of  thought,  of 
contrivance,  of  intellectual  effort  and  impulse.  Apart 
from  these,  every  species,  every  form,  and  every  com- 
bination of  matter  would  be  perfectly  inert  and  mo- 
tionless. 

The  mind  of  man  accomplishes  wonders ;  the  mind 
of  the  Deity,  himself  a  pure  Spirit, — all  Mind,  is  inifi- 
nitely  powerful ;  it  is  almighty,  and  able  to  do  all  things. 
"  He  speaks,  and  it  is  done  ;  he  commands,  and  it  stands 
fast."  He  wills,  and  the  object  he  wills  is  produced ; 
his  very  choice  is  agency :  his  mere  will  is  omnipotent. 
"  What  his  soul  desireth,  that  he  doeth."  It  costs  him 
no  trouble,  no  effort.  To  determine  is  with  him  to  per- 
form. Every  thought,  every  desire,  every  purpose  of 
this  Infinite  Mind  is  pure,  omnipotent  power,  beyond 
resistance,  obstruction,  or  control. 

Let  us  then  contemplate  the  extent  and  greatness 
of  God's  almighty  power. 


GOD  ALMIGKTY. 


25 


I.  In  the  first  place,  we  see  it  in  the  works  of  crea-- 
tion. 

There  is  no  higher  act  of  power  than  that  of  causing 
positive  existence.  No  creature  has  the  power  to 
create — no  not  a  worm,  nor  a  pebble  on  the  shore. 
Creation  is  God's  work  alone.  That  atom  that  floats 
on  the  breeze,  whence  was  it  ?  Those  orbs  that  light 
up  the  azure  sky,  that  sky  itself,  how  came  they  into 
being  ?  They  were  not  always.  Almighty  God  made 
them,  and  gave  them  existence,  where  there  was 
nothing  before.  He  stretched  out  the  heavens  by 
his  discretion,  and  garnished  them  by  his  Spirit.  He 
spake  and  decided  the  number,  the  magnitude,  the  dis- 
tances, the  influence  of  the  unnumbered  hosts  of  stars 
and  planets.  He  set  all  the  borders  of  the  earth,  and 
fastened  its  foundations,  and  laid  the  measures  thereof, 
and  stretched  out  his  line  upon  it.  He  stretched  out 
the  north  over  the  empty  place,  and  hung  the  world 
upon  nothing.  The  fertile  plain  and  the  barren  desert, 
the  lofty  mountain  and  the  humble  valley,  and  the 
rivers  that  roll  between  them,  are  all  his  workmanship. 
And  this  vast  extent  of  ocean,  these  deep  blue  waters, 
whence  were  they  ?  who  laid  them  up  in  store-houses, 
and  made  the  cloud  a  garment,  and  thick  darkness 
a  swaddling  band  for  them  ?  Who  shut  them  up  with 
doors,  and  set  bars  for  them,  that  they  should  not 
break  through  their  decreed  place?  Well  may  we 
say  with  Job,  "  I  know  that  thou  canst  do  everything, 
and  that  no  thought  is  hidden  from  thee !"  Truly  "  he  ^ 
doeth  great  things  !  unsearchable,  marvellous  things, 
and  that  without  number !"  "  Marvellous  are  thy 
works.  Lord  God  Almighty  ;  in  wisdom  hast  thou  made 
Ihem  all !" 

2 


^e  GOD  ALMIGHTY. 

"   II.  In  the  second  place,  there  are  equal  exhibitions  of 
God's  almighty  power  in  the  works  of  his  providence. 

He  is  not  only  the  Maker,  but  the  upholder  of  all 
things,  and  their  director  and  governor.  His  provi- 
dence is  a  sort  of  second  creation — creation  constantly 
continued.  And  throughout  the  whole  of  it,  there 
is  one  continued  expression  of  omnipotence.  Men 
speak  of  the  laws  by  which  the  natural  world  is 
governed,  as  though  they  were  something  apart  from 
God ;  while  they  are  God  himself,  working  after  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will.  They  do  but  unfold  the  way 
and  manner  in  which  he  works  in  order  to  accomplish 
his  own  wise  and  benevolent  designs.  When  the 
earth  quakes,  men  attribute  the  phenomenon  to  mere 
natural  causes  ;  but  the  Scriptures  attribute  it  to  God. 
"  He  toucheth  the  hills  and  they  smoke,  the  mountains, 
and  they  break  in  pieces ;"  the  rocks,  and  "  they  melt 
away  like  wax  ;"  the  earth,  and  "  all  its  foundations  are 
out  of  place."  Men  have  their  theories  to  account  for 
storms  and  tempests ;  the  Scriptures  account  for  them 
in  another  way.  '*  His  way  is  in  the  whirlwind,  and  the 
clouds  are  the  dust  of  his  feet."  ''  The  mountains  saw 
thee,  and  they  trembled  ;  the  overflowing  of  the  water 
passed  by  ;  the  deep  uttered  his  voice  and  lifted  up  his 
hands  on  high."  The  regular  succession  of  day  and 
night,  summer  and  winter,  seed-time  and  harvest ;  the 
rain,  the  drought,  the  dew,  are  familiarly  traced  by  the 
philosophy  of  this  world  to  other  causes  than  God.  But 
the  Scriptures  adopt  another  and  a  different  philosophy. 
"  Hast  thou  commanded  the  morning  since  thy  days,  and 
caused  the  day-spring  from  on  high  to  know  his  place, 
that  it  might  take  hold  of  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  ?    Hast  thou  divided  a  water-course  for  the  over- 


GOD  ALMIGHTY.  37 

flowing  of  the  waters ;  or  a  way  for  the  lightning  of 
thunder,  to  cause  it  to  rain  on  the  earth  where  no  man 
is,  and  on  the  wilderness  where  there  is  no  man  ?  Hath 
the  rain  a  father  ?  or  who  hath  begotten  the  drops  of 
the  dew  ?  Out  of  whose  womb  came  the  ice,  and  the 
hoary  frost  of  heaven,  who  hath  gendered  it  ?'* 
"  Touching  the  Almighty,  we  cannot  find  him  out :  he 
is  excellent  in  power  and  judgment/' 

And  as  it  is  in  the  natural,  so  is  it  in  the  moral  world. 
God  is  its  governor,  and  all  the  affairs  of  men  are  con- 
trolled by  him.  '*  He  is  the  judge  ;  he  setteth  up  one, 
and  he  putteth  down  another."  "  There  are  many  de- 
vices in  a  man's  heart ;  but  the  counsel  of  the  Lord, 
that  shall  stand."  When  empires  are  to  be  founded, 
he  founds  them ;  when  they  are  to  be  overthrown,  he 
diminishes  and  brings  them  low.  Assyria,  Egypt,  Baby- 
lon, and  all  the  departed  nations,  have  passed  away,  be- 
cause his  unseen  hand  had  written  their  doom.  His 
arm  disconcerts  the  schemes  of  the  wise,  breaks  the 
confederacies  of  the  great,  and  scatters  the  combina- 
tions of  all  who  set  themselves  to  contend  with  their 
Maker.  We  look  for  them,  but  they  are  not  to  be 
found.  We  do  but  pass  by,  and  they  are  no  more. 
The  only  remembrance  of  them  is  contained  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  past,  and  that  remembrance  is  pre-eminently 
the  record  of  the  Almighty  power  that  levelled  them 
with  the  dust.  A  single  look  from  God,  and  they  were 
no  longer  to  be  found.  It  is  impossible  for  us  to  con- 
ceive the  amazing  power  with  which  the  Divine  ad- 
ministration in  the  government  of  this  world  moves 
forward.  The  vast  machinery  is  kept  in  motion  by  an 
invisible,  but  Almighty  hand  ;  "  there  is  a  wheel  within 
a  wheel ;  and  the  living  creature  is -within  the  wheels." 


2g  GOD  ALMIGHTY. 

Sometimes  they  "  move  high  and  dreadful,"  and  as  they 
move,  remind  us  how  impotent  is  the  pride  of  man,  and 
bid  us  remember  that  "  power  belongeth  unto  God." 

III.  There  are  impressive  exhibitions  of  the  divine 
power,  in  the  third  place,  in  the  government  which 
God  exercises  over  the  minds  of  men  themselves, 

"  Thou  know  est,  O  Lord,  that  the  wa}^  of  man  is  not 
in  himself :  it  is  not  in  man  that  walketh  to  direct  his 
steps."  "  We  are  not  sufficient  of  ourselves  to  think 
anything  of  ourselves  ;  but  our  sufficiency  is  of  God." 
Other  agents  there  are  besides  God ;  but  there  is  no 
agent  independent  of  him.  "  The  king's  heart  is  in  the 
hand  of  the  Lord ;  as  the  rivers  of  water  he  turneth  it 
whithersoever  he  will."  Such  is  the  power  of  God, 
that  he  exercises  entire  dominion  over  every  order  of 
minds  in  the  universe,  from  the  seraph  to  the  child. 
So  absolutely  does  he  govern,  that  not  even  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  could  have  predicted  his  next  thought.  Of  all 
the  men  now  living  on  the  earth,  not  one  knows  be- 
forehand what  thoughts  he  shall  conceive ;  what  pur- 
poses he  shall  form ;  what  words  he  shall  utter ;  in 
what  pursuits  he  shall  be  engaged ;  what  good  he  shall 
enjoy,  or  what  evil  he  shall  endure  ;  or  how  long  he 
shall  live,  or  when  or  where  he  shall  die  ;  because  all 
his  times  and  ways  are  in  the  hands  of  God. 

The  power  of  man  never  appears  more  illustrious 
than  when  we  witness  its  effects  on  the  minds  of  his 
fellow  man.  Chains,  prisons,  and  the  sword,  furnish 
faint  exhibitions  of  power  compared  with  those  which 
a  powerful  mind  exerts  upon  the  views  and  conduct, 
and  destiny  of  mankind.  It  is  a  power  more  to  be 
coveted,  than  all  the  mere  physical  force  of  the  globe. 
It  is  a  sublime  view  this,  when  we  contemplate  the 


GOD  ALMIGHTY.  29 

power  of  God  over  the  minds  of  the  intelligent  crea- 
tion. It  is  not  the  government  of  a  world  of  passive 
machinery,  but  of  thinking,  moral,  accomitable  men 
that  he  administers.  He  can  do  more  than  wield  the 
elements  ;  he  can  wield  the  thoughts  of  men.  He  can 
do  more  than  give  laws  to  the  world  of  matter ;  he  can 
give  them  to  the  world  of  mind.  "  The  Lord  God  Om- 
nipotent reigneth  ;  and  let  the  earth  rejoice." 

IV.  I  add,  in  the  fourth  place,  the  dispensations  of 
God's  grace  are  affecting  expressions  of  his  almighty 
power. 

In  every  stage  of  its  progress,  this  grace  is  almighty. 
There  are  obstacles  in  the  way  of  it  which  nothing  but 
omnipotence  can  surmount.  The  first  work  it  has  to 
accomplish  is  to  take  away  the  heart  of  stone,  and  give 
a  heart  of  flesh.  And  this  is  a  work  which  no  means, 
and  no  motives  in  the  universe  can  perform.  The 
Bible  cannot  do  it  by  all  its  instructions.  The  Sabbath 
cannot  do  it  by  all  its  solemnity.  Parents  cannot  do  it 
by  all  their  fidelity  and  tenderness.  Ministers  cannot 
do  it  by  all  their  preaching.  Christians  cannot  do  it 
by  all  their  example  and  influence.  Judgments  cannot 
do  it  by  all  their  terrors  ;  and  mercies  cannot  do  it  by 
all  their  persuasive  attractions.  Plague,  famine,  war, 
the  fearful  thunder  and  the  forked  lightning  cannot  do 
it.  The  sea  saith,  it  is  not  in  me  to  do  it ;  and  death 
and  the  grave  say,  it  is  not  in  me.  But  God  can  do  it ; 
God  alone,  by  the  efficacy  of  his  own  almighty  power. 
This  must  be  superadded  to  the  other  influences,  or 
the  work  is  never  done.  It  belongs  to  his  Almighty 
Spirit,  to  convince  men  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of 
judgment :  to  make  them  willing  in  the  day  of  his 
power.     When  his  right  hand  is  plucked  out  of  his 


30  GJOD  ALMIGHTY. 

bosom,  and  his  mighty  arm  revealed,  every  difficulty 
bows  before  it.  The  blind  see,  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  in 
sin  live.  Every  instance  of  conversion  is  a  signal  in- 
stance of  divine  power.  When  these  signs  and  w^on- 
ders  are  done  in  the  name  of  the  holy  child  Jesus,  what 
victories  are  they,  what  triumphs  of  Almighty  grace  ? 
"  It  is  not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit, 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Well  did  the  Psalmist  say, 
when  his  heart  was  inditing  a  good  matter,  and  he 
spake  of  the  things  touching  the  king,  "  Gird  thy  sword 
upon  thy  thigh,  O  most  mighty,  with  thy  glory  and  thy 
majesty.  And  in  thy  majesty  ride  prosperously,  be- 
cause of  truth,  and  meekness,  and  righteousness;  and 
thy  right  hand  shall  teach  thee  terrible  things." 

Nor  is  this  all  that  is  done  for  the  subjects  of  grace. 
"  They  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God,  through  faith 
unto  salvation."  And  when,  after  all  their  conflicts 
and  trials,  they  at  last  become  fitted  for  heaven,  it  will 
be  most  truly  said  of  every  one  of  them,  "  He  that  hath 
wrought  you  for  this  self-same  thing  is  God."  The 
longer  we  live,  and  the  more  we  know  of  ourselves,  if 
we  are  Christians,  the  more  shall  we  w^onder  at  that 
excellency  of  power  by  which  any  of  the  sons  or 
daughters  of  Adam  are  brought  into  the  divine  king- 
dom, and  kept  in  it !  Wonderful, — most  wonderful 
grace ! 

Let  this  view  of  God's  omnipotence  lead  us 
L  In  the  first  place,  to  strong  confidence  in  God.  It 
is  a  source  of  great  comfort  to  know  that  God  is  om- 
nipotent. On  every  side  we  have  enemies,  and  are 
beset  with  dangers  and  snares.  But  God  is  above  them 
all.  Great  peace  have  they  whose  minds  are  stayed 
on  God.    The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower,  into 


GOD  ALMIGHTY.  31 

which  the  righteous  runneth,  and  is  safe.  Their  place 
of  defence  is  the  munition  of  rocks.  In  the  time  of 
trouble,  God  will  hide  them  in  his  pavilion,  in  the  secret 
of  his  tabernacle  shall  he  hide  them.  God  is  their  ref- 
uge and  strength.  Unutterably  precious  truth  !  God 
is  thy  refuge,  Christian,  and  underneath  thee  are  the 
everlasting  arms.  "He  is  able  to  make  all  grace 
abound  toward  you."  "  He  is  able  to  keep  you  from 
falling,  and  present  you  faultless  before  the  presence  of 
his  glory  with  exceeding  joy."  He  is  able  to  "keep 
that  which  you  have  committed  to  him,  and  to  raise 
you  up  at  the  last  day."  Away  with  trembling  and 
fear !  "  Who  art  thou,  that  thou  shouldest  be  afraid  of 
a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man  that  shall 
be  made  as  grass,  and  forgettest  the  Lord  thy  Maker, 
that  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and  laid  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth?"  Who,  O  who  would  not  have  the 
Omnipotent  God  for  his  friend !  Give  me  this,  and  let 
\\dio  will  be  my  enemy  !  Come  what  will,  if  the  Eter- 
nal God  be  my  friend.  Yes,  let  it  come — be  it  what  it 
may.  Come  life,  come  death,  if  God  Almighty  but  say 
to  me,  "  I  am  thy  shield,  and  thine  exceeding  great 
reward !" 

2.  In  the  next  place,  our  subject  teaches  us  the  eX' 
treme  folly  of  those  who  contend  with  their  Maker, 
Multitudes  there  are,  who  are  not  God's  friends,  but  his 
enemies,  and  contend  with  him.  They  do  not  love 
him ;  they  will  not  obey  him  ;  they  will  not  trust  in 
him ;  they  refuse  his  salvation ;  and  they  will  live  as 
they  please,  however  much  they  may  displease  their 
Maker. 

O  ye,  who  thus  trifle  with  Omnipotence !  "  Who  ever 
hardened  himself  against  God  and  prospered  ?"    Before 


32  GOD  ALMIGHTY. 

him  angels  bow,  and  devils  tremble.  The  King  eter- 
nal, immortal,  and  invisible,  is  not  a  being  to  be  thus 
trifled  with.  His  favor  is  life;  his  frown  is  death. 
Mock  not  him  who  is  thus  able  to  save  and  to  destroy. 
Insult  not  him,  at  whose  bidding  you  must  make  your 
bed  in  hell.  The  black  face  of  the  tempestuous  cloud 
warns  you,  no  longer  to  contend  with  God.  Those 
flames  you  have  seen  dart  through  the  sky,  bid  you 
beware  how  you  contend  with  God.  What,  O  what  is 
a  frail,  dying  man  in  the  hands  of  this  angry  God ! 

Turn  ye,  turn  ye  at  his  reproof.  Be  persuaded  to 
seek  his  face.  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  he  can 
make  them  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  he  can  make  them  as  wool.  Humble  your- 
selves before  him,  and  you  will  find  he  has  no  pleasure 
in  your  death.  Be  in  earnest  in  seeking  his  face  through 
Jesus  Christ,  and  you  will  find  that  you  have  to  deal 
with  one  whose  mercy  is  as  great  as  his  power.  Break 
off*  your  sins,  and  you  will  find  that  where  your  sin 
abounds,  his  grace  much  more  abounds. 

But  if  you  will  go  on  in  sin,  and  thus  persevere  in 
contending  with  God,  it  is  a  dark  prospect  that  is  be- 
fore you.  It  blackens  every  hour.  God's  anger  will 
not  sleep.  His  goodness  may  bear  with  you  a  httle 
while,  but  will  ere  long  become  indignation  and  wrath. 
In  a  little  while  he  will  brandish  his  sword,  and  the 
blow  will  fall  the  heavier  because  so  long  delayed. 
Sickness  will  come,  and  you  will  tremble.  Death 
will  come,  and  you  will  be  afraid  to  die.  You  must 
go  into  God's  presence,  and  you  will  be  afraid  to  go. 
You  must  be  dragged  from  your  grave  and  stand  at  his 
bar,  only  to  be  condemned  and  accursed.  There  will 
be  no  pardon  there,  and  no  time  for  repentance. 


GOD  ALMIGHTY. 


33 


O,  my  friends,  rush  not  headlong  to  this  place  of  tor- 
ment I  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Living  God. 

Yet  is  this  mighty  power  the  sinner's  hope.  What 
voice  is  that,  and  how  seasonable  and  sweet  the  words 
it  utters,  which  says,  "  O  Israel,  thou  hast  destroyed  thy- 
self; but  in  me  is  thy  help  !"  This  same  God  Almighty 
is  the  sinner's  helper.  "Let  him  take  hold  of  my 
strength,  that  he  may  make  peace  with  me,  and  he 
shall  make  peace  with  me."  This  is  the  way  to  turn 
God's  power  to  good  account.  That  God  is  omnipotent 
is  the  very  truth  the  desponding  sinner  needs,  to 
raise  him  at  once  above  all  discouragements.  O  take 
hold  of  his  everlasting  strength.  Even  Paul  could 
say  no  more  than,  "  I  can  do  all  things,  through 
Christ  Jesus  that  strengtheneth  me.''  Weak  and  in- 
sufficient as  you  are,  there  is  no  room  for  discourage- 
ment so  long  as  your  help  is  in  God. 

To  him  be  glory,  and  dominion,  and  power,  and 
thanksgiving  forever.    Amen ! 

2* 


SERMON  III. 

THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND. 
Matthew  ix,  19.     A  friend  to  sinners. 

The  sinner  needs  a  friend,  an  all-gracious,  all-suffi- 
cient friend.  He  needs  such  a  friend,  if  it  were  only 
to  comfort  him  under  the  trials  of  life,  and  carry  him 
safe  through  them.  He  needs  such  a  friend  to  counsel 
and  guide  him,  because  he  is  prone  to  evil,  and  is  easily 
led  astray.  He  needs  some  one  to  assist  him,  and 
help  him  on  in  the  journey  which  has  proved  so  fatal 
to  thousands  of  his  fellow-travellers.  He  needs  help  to 
enable  him  to  overcome  his  habits  of  wickedness,  to 
subdue  his  spiritual  enemies,  arid  disappoint  all  those 
who  are  doing  what  they  can  to  lead  him  to  destruc- 
tion. He  needs  a  friend  at  home  and  abroad,  in  sick- 
ness and  in  health ;  and  more  than  all,  when  he  comes 
to  pass  through  the  dark  valley  of  death,  when  he  goes 
up  to  the  judgment,  to  enter  upon  his  unalterable  eter- 
nity, O  then  he  needs  a  friend  who  will  stand  by  him 
to  cheer  him,  and  make  his  cause  his  own. 

But  is  there  on  earth  or  in  heaven  any  such  friend 
as  this  ?  Yes,  there  is  One — one  such  friend,  and  only 
one  in  the  universe.  I  hear  some  of  you  say,  Who  is 
he  ?  where  is  he  to  be  found  ?  I  wish  I  had  such  a 
friend  as  this ! 

Well,  I  am  to  speak  to  you  about  him ;  to  tell  you 


THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND.  35 

who  he  is,  and  where  and  how  he  may  be  sought  and 
found.  And  you  may  be  assured  that,  however  evil, 
sinful,  guilty  and  wretched  you  may  be,  that  if  you 
come  to  him,  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  you  out.  He 
never  did  refuse,  and  he  never  will  refuse,  any  who 
come  to  him.  You  have  often  read  in  the  Bible  about 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  that  great  and  gracious 
Being  who  "came  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was 
lost."  He  is  "God  manifest  in  the  flesh;"  the  only 
Mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  great  Immanuel, 
God  with  us.  He  it  is  who  is  "  the  friend  of  sinners," 
creatures  of  yesterday  and  worms  of  the  dust  as  they 
are.  He  stoops  to  their  low  condition  ;  and  such  is  his 
mercy  toward  them,  that  "  angels  desire  to  look  into  it," 
and  the  more  they  think  of  it,  the  more  they  wonder. 
He  has  revealed  himself  as  the  friend  of  sinners  in  his 
word,  and  his  uniform  conduct  shows  that  these  pro- 
fessions and  declarations  of  friendship  may  be  con- 
fided in. 

There  are  several  different  views  which  may  be 
taken  of  this  interesting  thought. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  Jesus  Christ  is  a  friend  whose 
personal  character  and  excellence  render  his  friendship 
of  unspeakable  value  and  importance. 

We  have  friends  among  our  fellow-men ;  and  if  they 
are  great  and  good  men,  we  highly  value  their  friend- 
ship. If  by  any  indiscretion,  or  neglect,  or  folly  of  our 
own,  we  have  lost  their  friendship,  we  feel  the  loss. 
Yet,  for  the  most  part,  earthly  friends  are  not  greatly 
to  be  relied  on.  There  is  too  much  sin  and  imperfec- 
tion in  men;  too  much  error  and  weakness,  too  much 
pride  and  impatience,  too  much  that  is  untender  and 


36  THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND. 

unforgiving,  too  much  of  self,  to  justify  us  in  counting 
largely  on  their  friendship. 

The  angels  in  heaven,  too,  are  the  friends  of  fallen, 
sinning  man.  They  are  beings  of  great  benevolence, 
great  kindness,  and  loveliness  of  character.  They  have 
done  much  to  save  men :  they  are  doing  much  more, 
and  often  *'  encamp  around  them"  to  defend  them  from 
harm;  and  they  are  ready  to  do  all  in  their  power. 
They  are  all  "  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister 
to  them  that  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation."  But  they  are 
finite  beings,  dependent  on  Almighty  God,  and  in  the 
scale  and  gradation  of  their  existence,  but  a  little  above 
men.  Neither  the  best,  nor  tbe  wisest,  nor  the  most 
powerful  men  on  earth,  nor  the  greatest  and  best  of  all 
the  angels  in  heaven,  are,  or  can  be  such  friends  to  us, 
as  the  friend  I  am  speaking  of 

There  is  no  imperfection  or  blemish  in  the  character 
of  Christ,  that  should  ever  make  his  friendship  sus- 
pected. There  is  no  excellence  anywhere  to  be  com- 
pared with  his.  There  is  no  such  greatness  and  good- 
ness to  be  anywhere  found  as  dwell  in  him  ;  no  such 
intellectual  and  moral  worth,  so  unstained,  so  unob- 
scured,  even  by  a  passing  cloud.  He  is  all  light,  and 
in  him  there  is  no  darkness  at  all.  He  is  not  more 
exalted,  than  he  is  condescending.  Though  *'  the  high 
and  lofty  One  that  inhabiteth  eternity,"  he  "  dwells  with 
the  humble  and  contrite."  Though  all  nations  are  as  a 
drop  of  a  bucket  before  him,  and  no  created  mind  can 
search  out  his  unfathomable  glory,  yet  does  he  stoop  to 
dwell  with  men  of  the  meanest  rank,  to  "  choose  the 
base  things  of  the  world,"  to  "  suffer  little  children  to 
come  to  him,"  and  himself  to  wash  the  feet  of  his  fol- 
lowers.    He  is  not  more  just  than  gracious,  nor  is  he 


THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND.  37 

more  gracious  than  just — "  a  just  God  and  a  Saviour, 
there  is  none  Hke  him."  More  glorious  is  he  than 
all  created  beings,  yet  "the  servant  of  all,"  and  the 
lowest  of  all  in  humility.  The  infinite  majesty  with 
which  he  "  rides  on  the  heavens,  and  is  terrible  out  of 
his  holy  places,"  is  equalled  only  by  the  meekness 
which,  'Svhen  reviled,  reviles  not  again,"  which  for- 
gives his  enemies,  and  prays  for  his  murderers.  His 
infinite  worthiness  of  all  good  is  equalled  only  by  his 
patience  under  all  suffering ;  his  supreme  dominion  and 
sovereignty  only  by  his  filial  obedience  and  submission  ; 
his  self-sufficiency  by  his  self-denial ;  his  native  riches 
by  his  abject  poverty  ;  his  renown  as  "  the  Lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,"  by  his  love  and  tenderness  as  "  the 
Lamb  that  was  slain."  Where  the  power  of  other 
friends  is  limited,  his  is  almighty  ;  where  their  knowl- 
edge, and  wisdom,  and  judgment  are  questionable,  and 
they  are  deceived,  or  mistaken,  and  perplexed;  he  is 
never  in  error,  never  deceived,  never  embarrassed,  be- 
cause his  comprehensive  mind  knows  all  things. 

Such  a  friend  is  Christ.  And  if  other  friends  are 
valued  in  proportion  to  their  excellence,  their  rank, 
their  influence,  and  the  strength  and  ardor  of  their 
attachment,  how  ought  his  friendship  to  be  valued  who 
is  so  infinitely  above  all  creatures ! 

II.  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  second  place,  is  the  friend  of 
those  who,  icithout  him,  would  be  utterly  friendless. 

There  is  weight  in  the  proverb,  '*  a  friend  in  need  is 
a  friend  indeed."  Who  is  more  friendless  than  the 
man  who  is  lost  and  ruined  by  sin,  and  has  no  interest 
in  the  favor  of  the  adorable  God  ?  There  is  a  solitude, 
a  melancholy  in  his  r.uin,  which  is  like  the  condition 
of  the  mariner  who  has  fallen  overboard  in  a  dark 


38  THE  SINNER'S  FRIENdT 

night,  and  when  the  storm  is  raging.  No  ear  heard 
the  fall ;  no  eye  sees  him ;  the  mingled  tempest  rushes 
furiously ;  the  gallant  ship  is  past  hearing,  and  he  feels 
alone  amid  the  wide  and  dark  ocean.  "  Help  is  far,  and 
death  is  nigh." 

There  are  times  when  the  sinner  feels  that  he  is  lost. 
Somehow  or  other,  he  knows  not  how,  he  has  lost  his 
interest  in  the  concerns  of  time.  He  has^no  relish  for 
the  world.  Its  riches  and  its  pleasures  seem  to  him  but 
vanity,  and  the  noise  of  its  mirth  fills  him  with  melan- 
choly and  distress.  The  cheerful  sunlight  is  over- 
shadowed, and  the  clouds  are  dark  and  gloomy.  His 
honors  wither : 

"  The  blue  heaven  wither'd ;  and  the  moon  and  sun, 
And  all  the  stars,  and  the  green  earth,  and  morn 

And  evening  wither'd. 

Withered  to  him  is  all  the  universe." 

He  is  "  without  God,  and  without  hope  in  the  world." 
Conscience,  that  ought  to  be  his  friend,  has  become  his 
enemy ;  it  is  troubled  in  view  of  his  outward  §ins,  and 
the  inward  plague  of  his  own  heart.  All  his  wonted 
excuses  for  sin  have  mouldered  away  and  are  forgot- 
ten ;  what  once,  in  his  own  view,  palliated  them,  now 
aggravates  them  all.  Forgotten  sins  are  called  to  re- 
membrance ;  secret  sins  are  set  before  him ;  open  sins 
rush  upon  his  thoughts  in  all  their  odiousness ;  and 
present  sin,  unrepented  of,  binds  him  in  its  inexorable 
bondage.  He  feels  like  "  an  alien  from  the  common- 
wealth of  Israel,  and  a  stranger  to  the  covenant  of 
promise."  He  feels  alone  in  the  world,  and  he  is  afraid 
to  be  alone.  He  is  afraid  of  God,  because  he  is  afraid 
that  God  is  his  enemy. 


THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND,  39 

In  such  a  condition,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of 
lost  sinners,  addresses  him  with  the  voice  of  a  friend. 
He  calls  him.  He  says  to  him,  "Hearken  unto  me, 
ye  that  are  stout-hearted  and  far  from  righteousness ; 
behold  I  bring  near  my  righteousness,  and  my  salvation 
shall  not  tarry  !"  He  says  to  him,  *'  Come  unto  me,  all 
ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest !"  He  stoops  to  his  sins,  to  his  cares,  to  his  fears,  to 
his  solitude  and  helplessness.  Never  sought  as  he  ought 
to  be,  often  abused,  despised,  rejected,  trampled  on, 
yet  this  Saviour  becomes  his  friend. 

It  is  a  wondrous  truth  which  was  just  now  uttered, 
that  the  very  sin^  of  this  lost  and  disconsolate  sinner 
interest  this  compassionate  Saviour.  The  sins  of  men 
are  the  cause  of  all  their  woes  and  helplessness ;  and 
these  woes  touch  his  heart.  The  greatest  sinners 
have  the  greatest  need ;  and  where  there  is  the  great- 
est need,  and  that  need  is  most  deeply  felt,  there  he  is 
wont  to  show  his  kindness  and  friendship.  He  ''  came 
not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance ;" 
it  was  to  make  good  the  declaration,  "  O  Israel,  thou 
hast  destroyed  thyself;  but  in  me  is  thy  help !" 

III.  In  the  third  place,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  most  effi- 
cient friend. 

Others  may  love  us,  but  their  love  may  be  unavail- 
ing. Others  may  wish  us  well,  and  desire  to  make  us 
holy  and  happy ;  yet  can  they  do  us  very  little  good. 
Other  friendships  may  be  inconstant  and  weak;  they 
may  hesitate  and  falter,  and  become  remiss  and  forget- 
ful, because  they  are  not  willing  to  make  the  sacrifices 
that  are  necessary  to  our  well-being.  But  where  other 
friends  fail  us,  his  friendship  is  available  to  our  every 
want.     He  is  as  willing  to  befriend  us,  as  he  is  able. 


40  THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND. 

No  matter  how  great  the  sacrifices  that  our  condition 
calls  for ;  where  they  are  the  greatest,  there  his  friend- 
ship is  the  most  prompt,  the  most  active  and  self- 
denying. 

Do  you  ask  for  proof  of  this  ?  Go  to  his  word  and 
read  it  there.  Go  also  and  read  it  at  his  cross.  He 
was  a  sufferer  there ;  never  was  there  any  sorrow  like 
unto  his  sorrow:  never  was  there  such  a  sufferer  in 
the  universe.  But  why  did  he  suffer  ?  He  had  done 
nothing  to  deserve  it ;  for  he  was  holy  and  harmless, 
and  not  even  the  holy  God  could  accuse  him  of  sin. 
No ;  they  were  your  sins  and  your  sorrows  that  he 
bore,  the  just  in  the  room  and  stead  of  the  unjust. 
When  men  as  sinners  were  obnoxious  to  the  sword  of 
justice,  and  ignominy  and  woe  were  coming  upon  them 
like  a  flood,  he  put  himself  in  their  place,  bore  the  suf- 
fering and  despised  the  shame.  When  the  bitter  cup 
was  mingled  for  them,  he  took  it  from  their  hands,  and 
himself  drank  it  to  the  dregs.  When  wrath  was  coming 
upon  them  to  the  uttermost,  and  the  Avenger  would 
take  no  denial,  no  alleviation,  no  delay,  he  gave  his 
own  life  the  ransom.  Where  is  there  such  another 
friend  as  this  ?  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends ;  but  God 
commendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that  when  we  were 
enemies,  Christ  died  for  us." 

It  is  this  that  makes  the  friendship  of  Christ  so  effec- 
tive. The  sinner  that  humbly  looks  to  Christ,  and  re- 
ceives him  as  his  Saviour  and  surety,  will  find  to  his  joy 
that  the  blood  of  this  great  sacrifice  has  paid  the  full 
demands  of  avenging  justice,  and  that  justice  asks  no 
more  than  what  a  trusting  faith  thus  offers.  This  sin- 
gle act  of  friendship  is  also  the  pledge  and  earnest  of 


THE  SINNIER'S  FRIEND.  41 

every  other  expression  of  it  that  the  sinner  needs. 
There  is  nothing  his  friendship  will  not  lead  him  to  do 
for  sinners,  after  he  has  thus  given  himself  for  them. 

IV.  In  the  fourth  place,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  most  un- 
wearied, faithful,  and  unchanging  friend. 

Once  secured,  his  friendship  lasts.  "Nothing  shall 
separate  us  from  his  love."  It  bears  long  and  loves 
still.  It  bears  with  ingratitude,  with  perverseness,  with 
jealousy  and  suspicion,  and  still  it  loves.  Men  are  slow 
to  believe  it,  slow  to  learn  it,  slow  to  repay,  and  quick 
to  forget  it ;  but  still  it  is  the  same.  Its  current  is  too 
deep  and  strong  to  be  checked  or  diverted  from  its  course ; 
and  though  obstacle  upon  obstacle  is  thrown  in  its  way, 
it  still  flows  deep  and  strong. 

It  is  rather  a  contrast  to  all  earthly  friendships,  than 
a  comparison  with  them,  that  is  presented  by  the  friend- 
ship of  Christ  to  sinners.  Earthly  friends  are  fickle  and 
changing ;  he  is  "  the  same,  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for- 
ever." "  Whom  he  loves,  he  loves  to  the  end."  The 
changes  of  this  world  do  not  affect  his  friendship. 
Earthly  friends  are  forgetful ;  the  best  of  men,  and  the 
most  watchful  and  tender,  are  sometimes  forgetful  and 
thoughtless.  "  They  may  forget,"  says  he,  "  yet  will  I 
not  forget."  They  may  become  languid  and  weary ; 
they  may  be  hasty  and  rash,  provoked  and  angry ;  but 
his  never  slumbers  nor  sleeps  ;  he  is  ''  slow  to  anger  and 
of  great  kindness,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression,  and 
sin."  Even  a  parent's  friendship,  a  mother's  love,  may 
be  exhausted ;  years  of  disappointed  hope  may  chill  it 
and  depress  it  into  apathy.  But  such  is  not  the  friend- 
ship of  Christ.  His  is  that  tried  friendship  that  is  far 
above  the  instability  of  those  passions  which  put  the 
soul  alternately  into  a  ferment  of  jealousy  and  appre- 


42  THE  SINNER'S  FRIEND. 

hension,  and  sink  it  into  despondency,  and  distract  and 
toss  it  like  so  many  restless  waves.  Glorious,  soul-re- 
viving truth !  it  never  alters.  Whether  the  sun  cheers, 
or  the  clouds  grow  dark,  it  never  alters.  No  change 
of  condition  alters  it,  nor  is  it  altered  by  passing  years. 
It  decays  not  with  withering  fame,  or  wasted  fortunes, 
or  decaying  time. 

"  E'en  down  to  old  age  my  people  shall  prove 
My  sovereign,  eternal,  unchangeable  love ; 
And  then  w^hen  gray  hairs  shall  their  temples  adorn, 
Like  lambs  they  shall  still  in  my  bosom  be  borne." 

I  add, 

V.  In  the  fifth  and  last  place,  Jesus  Christ  is  a  friend 
who  is  entitled  by  his  own  merits  to  clairnfor  his  friends 
all  that  his  love  desires  to  bestow. 

He  has  nothing  to  ask  for  himself,  but  everything  to 
ask  and  claim  for  them.  When  he  consented  to  be- 
come obedient  unto  death,  the  court  of  heaven  engaged 
by  solemn  covenant  to  give  him  all  he  should  desire  on 
their  behalf.  "  Ask  of  me,  my  Son,  and  I  will  give  thee 
the  heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession."  The  reward  he 
asks  for,  and  claims,  is  the  pardon  of  guilty  men  who 
trust  in  him;  their  acceptance  and  justification,  their 
sanctification  and  their  eternal  glory.  He  claims  it  for 
services  rendered  by  himself;  it  is  but  his  rightful  and 
stipulated  recompense.  This  claim  was  completed 
when  he  expired  on  the  cross,  and  acknowledged  when 
he  rose  from  the  grave.  All  the  good  ever  intended 
for  sinful  men  is  measured  out  and  dispensed  as  a  re- 
ward to  Christ.  Whatever  the  sinner  needs  is  included 
in  his  promised  inheritance. 


THE  SINNER'S   FRIEND.  43 

And  it  is  this  which  gives  the  friend  of  sinners  such 
claims  and  such  influence  where  the  sinner  most  needs 
them.  He  has  a  friend  at  the  court  of  heaven,  whose 
merit  is  known  and  whose  rights  are  acknowledged ; 
and  they  are  merit  and  rights  that  are  sure  to  be  hon- 
ored. It  is  but  for  him  to  plead  their  cause,  and  it 
must  prevail.  If  he  does  but  point  them  out  and  say, 
"  Deliver  them,"  they  shall  be  delivered  from  going 
down  to  the  pit.  It  is  but  for  him  to  say, ''  Father,  I 
will  that  they  whom  thou  hast  given  me  be  with  me, 
where  I  am,"  and  they  shall  be  with  him,  and  behold 
his  glory. 

Earthly  friends  die.  We  weep  because  we  shall  see 
their  face  no  more.  Their  affectionate  heart  no  longer 
beats  for  us  ;  it  is  cold.  They  have  left  us  the  rich 
legacy  of  their  example  and  their  prayers ;  and  now 
their  counsels  of  love  sound  in  our  ears  only  from  the 
tomb.  Sinners  have  a  friend  who  never  dies.  "  Fear 
not,"  saith  he,  "  I  am  he  that  liveth  and  was  dead,  and 
behold  I  am  alive  forever  more  !"  He  lives  no  more  to 
die  ;  and  their  life  "  is  hid  with  him  in  God." 

Such  is  the  sinner's  friend.  The  more  you  know  of 
him,  the  more  ought  you  to  confide  in  him.  If  you  have 
felt  your  need  of  him,  and  have  actually  placed  all  your 
hopes  in  him,  you  will  find  him  faithful  and  true.  It  is 
not  worthiness  he  seeks  for  in  you ;  he  is  the  friend  of 
sinners  ;  he  came  to  "justify  the  ungodly ;"  the  bles- 
sings of  his  friendship  are  of  pure  grace,  and  he  gives 
them  "  without  money  and  without  price." 

He  is  the  sailor's  friend.  It  was  from  the  lakes  of 
Judea  that  he  called  some  of  his  first  disciples.  It  is 
you  he  calls  to-day.  Do  not  doubt  it.  "  Reach  hither 
thy  finger,  and  behold  his  hands ;  and  reach  hither  thy 


44  THE   SINNNER'S   FRIEND. 

hand,  and  thrust  it  into  his  side  ;  be  no  more  faithless, 
but  believing."  Reason  hesitates  here,  because  here 
are  heights  to  which  her  eagle  wing  never  soars. 
Conscience  hesitates  and  trembles,  because  here  are 
depths  so  dark  and  fearful  that  one  dare  not  penetrate 
them.  But  faith  triumphs  here,  because  "  it  is  Christ 
that  died,"  and  he  is  the  sinner's  friend. 

Ye  who  are  the  friends  of  Christ,  take  heed  how  you 
abuse  and  betray  his  love.  Be  watchful  to  act  the  part 
of  friends  toward  your  Divine  Lord.  Humbling  to  be 
thought  of,  it  is  in  the  house  of  his  friends  that  he 
sometimes  is  the  most  deeply  wounded.  Be  you  never 
so  treacherous  as  to  cause  him  pain  and  dishonor. 
Henceforth,  when  that  hand,  or  those  feet,  or  those  lips 
are  tempted  to  evil,  let  the  remembrance  of  his  friend- 
ship wake  you  to  jealousy,  shut  your  lips,  guide  those 
feet,  and  stay  that  hand.  And  when  that  restless  and 
rebel  heart  wanders,  O  let  the  thought  of  him  arrest  the 
prohibited  purpose,  and  restrain  and  subdue  the  evil 
desire ! 

I  shall  close  this  discourse  wath  the  thought  with 
which  I  began  it.  You  need  a  friend.  No  class  of 
men  need  such  a  friend  as  Christ  more  than  seamen. 
Earthly  friends  w^ith  you  may  be  few  in  number ;  for 
once  then  gain  his  friendship,  and  prove  his  love  who 
*'sticketh  closer  >  than  a  brother."  He  will  stand  by 
you  when  all  other  friends  forsake  you.  He  will  not 
fail  you  amid  those  calamities  that  "  put  lover  and 
friend  far  from  you,  and  your  acquaintance  into  dark- 
ness." He  will  be  with  you  in  storm  and  in  sunshine, 
and  dwell  with  you  even  here,  afar  off  upon  the  sea.  He 
will  be  with  you  in  trials  ;  nor  will  you  have  to  struggle 
in  your  conflicts  alone.     He  hath  said — -what  is  it  that 


THE  SINNER'S   FRIEND. 


45 


he  hath  said,  and  said,  sailor  boy,  to  thee  ?  He  hath 
said,  "  I  will  never  leave  thee,  no  j-  forsake  thee!"  O, 
what  a  sweet  promise  is  this!  Make  but  him  your 
friend,  and  he  will  stand  by  you  to  the  last.  His  love 
will  breathe  peace  over  your  pillow  of  death,  and  em- 
balm with  its  fragrance  the  sepulchre  where  your  dust 
shall  rest  in  hope.  And  when  these  seas  of  time  shall 
have  been  sailed  over ;  when  this  low  earth  where  you 
have  sinned,  and  toiled,  and  suffered,  and  wept,  and 
died,  shall  be  left  behind,  and  all  its  associations  shall 
be  forgotten  ;  you  shall  join  that  company  who  have 
washed  their  robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb. 

"  One  there  is  above  all  others, 

Well  deserves  the  name  of  friend ; 
His  is  love  beyond  a  brother's, 
Costly,  free,  and  knows  no  end. 

"  Which  of  all  our  friends,  to  save  us, 
Could,  or  w^ould  have  shed  his  bloods 
But  this  Saviour  died  to  have  us 
Reconciled  in  him  to  God. 

"  when  he  lived  on  earth  abased, 
Friend  of  sbm-ers  was  his  name ; 
Now,  above  all  glory  raised, 
He  rejoices  in  the  same, 

"Oh  for  grace  our  hearts  to  soften! 
Teach  us,  Lord,  at  length  to  love ; 
We  alas!  forget  too  often, 

What  a  friend  we  have  above." 


SERMON  IV. 

UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT   HOPE. 

Ephesians  ii.  12.     Having  no  hope. 

No  hope  !  The  condition  of  such  a  man  may  well 
excite  concern  and  commiseration.  Men  can  live  and 
be  happy  without  riches,  without  honors;  they  can 
suffer  manfully,  and  struggle  through  accumulated  sor- 
rows, if  there  be  but  a  glimmering  light  in  their 
path.  They  can  rise  superior  to  depression,  if  there  is 
anything  to  lull  the  terrors  of  apprehension,  and  they 
may  but  feel  bound  to  the  world  by  the  consoling,  the 
magic  influence  of  hope.  But  when  this  last,  silent 
stream  of  consolation  is  dried  up,  there  is  nothing  left 
on  which  the  mind  may  repose  its  fears,  or  its  griefs. 
It  has  no  resources  left ;  it  sinks  unfortified  under  the 
burden  of  its  calamity ;  and  the  despairing,  sullen  suf- 
ferer has  but  the  one  desire  left  him,  "O  that  thou 
wouldest  hide  me  in  the  grave !" 

Such  instances  of  suffering  are  rare ;  and  we  natu- 
rally ask,  Of  whom  is  the  apostle  speaking,  whose  con- 
dition is  so  emphatically  and  mournfully  described,  as 
*'  having  no  hope  ?'' 

Perhaps  it  is  the  man  who  has  committed  the  un- 
pardonable sin,  and  for  whom  there  is  no  forgiveness, 
either  in  this  world,  or 'that  which  is  to  come.  Or  it 
may  be  the  man  who  is  in  the  agonies  of  death,  and  is 


UNBELIEVERS   WITHOUT   HOPE.  47 

just  about  to  appear  before  his  Judge  to  hear  his  doom. 
Or  is  it  the  state  of  the  damned  that  he  is  speaking  of? 
No,  it  is  none  of  these.  They  are  men  who  are  hving 
within  this  world  of  mercy;  who  were  "without 
Christ,  aliens  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and 
strangers  from  the  covenant  of  promise,  having  no 
liope,  and  without  God  in  the  world."  The  reason 
why  they  had  no  hope  was,  that  they  were  thus  alien- 
ated from  God. 

Man  is  no  earth-born  creature,  but  destined  to  im- 
mortality. There  are  strong  desires  of  the  future  im- 
planted in  his  bosom.  The  present  does  not  satisfy 
him ;  present  things  lose  their  relish  and  pall  on  his 
immortal  appetite.  There  is  no  resting-place  beneath 
the  sun,  where  he  sits  down  satisfied.  If  he  looks  not 
beyond  the  attainments,  or  researches  of  earth,  what 
hope  has  he  that  is  worth  the  name  ?  It  terminates  on 
earth ;  it  exhausts  itself  on  objects  that  may  pass  away 
and  be  dissolved  in  an  hour.  Nothing  is  more  un- 
certain, than  that  such  objects  can  be  attained ;  and  if 
attained,,  whether  they  may  not  be  lost ;  and  if  not  lost, 
whether  they  can  satisfy.  They  are  temporary,  delu- 
sive, and  absolutely  degi'ading.  Man  himself  is  vain, 
apart  from  his  immortality.  They  are  withered  hopes 
that  are  fixed  upon  the  things  of  time  ;  hopes  that  are 
desolate ;  hopes  that  conduce  not  to  the  end  and  per- 
fection of  our  being ;  hopes  which,  for  the  most  part, 
man  enjoys  in  common  with  brutes.  Such  hopes  are 
a  fiction  of  the  imagination — a  false  elation  of  the  mind 
— a  mere  image  and  semblance  of  hope — a  mistake,  a 
folly,  an  infatuation  which  it  Avill  require  "  eternity  to 
deplore,  and  eternity  to  comprehend." 

There  may  also  be  hopes  of  future  and  eternal  good, 


4S  UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT  HOPE. 

that  have  no  good  and  solid  foundation.  There  are  re. 
ligious  hopes  that  are  vague  and  uncertain,  changeful 
and  fluctuating,  because  they  have  nothing  to  rest 
upon.  They  are  indulged  with  great  hesitation,  be- 
cause those  who  indulge  them  are  enveloped  in  doubt, 
and  shrouded  in  darkness,  on  all  the  great  subjects 
which  relate  to  their  immortal  well-being.  Some  hope 
because  they  have  the  form  of  godliness ;  some  because 
they  think  it  would  be  unjust  and  cruel  for  God  to  de- 
stroy them;  some  because  they  persuade  themselves 
they  possess  the  religion  of  the  Bible,  when  they  are 
utterly  destitute  of  it ;  some  because  they  believe  that 
all  men  will  be  saved.  Their  hopes  rest  upon  a  foun- 
dation of  sand ;  and  in  the  high  and  important  sense 
in  which  the  Scriptures  speak  of  hope,  they  are  no 
hope  at  all. 

No  man  can  decide  whether  his  hope  of  a  blessed 
immortality  rests  on  a  true  and  solid  foundation  without 
going  to  the  Bible.  Jesus  Christ,  whose  Spirit  is  the 
author  of  this  revelation,  himself  came  from  heaven, 
in  order  to  assure  us  of  the  reality  of  the  heaven  from 
which  he  came.  His  redemption  solves  the  dark 
problem,  "  how  can  nian  be  just  with  God."  He  alone 
has  procured  eternal  life  for  guilty  men ;  has  made  an 
adequate  and  accepted  satisfaction  to  divine  justice,  so 
that  God  can  now  "  be  just  and  the  justifier  of  him 
that  believeth."  Here  is  the  sinner's  hope.  The 
rock  Christ  is  the  only  support  of  the  perishing  soul. 
Reason  and  philosophy  may  build  their  hopes  on  na- 
ture ;  grasping  self-righteousness  and  towering  pride 
may  raise  the  edifice  of  their  expectations  on  presump- 
tion ;  error  and  imagination  may  build  their  "castles 
in  thy  air ;"  but  Christian  hope,  the  only  hope  that  is 


UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT  HOPE.  49 

not  as  the  spider's  web,  rests  on  this  sure  foundation 
that  is  laid  in  Zion.  Every  other  is  fluctuating  and  un- 
stable ;  it  has  no  permanency,  no  reality  ;  it  is  a  refuge 
of  lies  ;  put  it  to  the  test,  and  you  detect  its  fallacy — it 
disappears — it  is  swept  away.  No  other  foundation 
sustains  the  hope  that  is  built  upon  it.  All  other  hope 
perishes  when  God  takes  away  the  soul ;  it  is  the  death- 
grasp  of  the  merest  presumption  ;  it  is  as  the  "  giving 
up  of  the  ghost ;"  it  is  not  hope.  When  trouble  and 
changes  come,  it  is  in  trepidation  ajid  alarm ;  it  is  no 
anchor  when  the  storm  beats  heavily.  The  day  is 
coming  that  will  test  the  hopes  of  men.  It  will  be  a 
wrathful  day  that  lays  waste  every  vain  confidence. 
It  is  a  bewildered  mind  that ;  it  is  dissatisfied  with 
itself;  it  courts  deception;  it  "sports  itself  with  its  own 
deceivings ;"  it  has  no  hope,  that  rests  not  on  Christ. 

Hope  that  is  firm  and  true,  must  also  not  only  rest  on 
this  sure  foundation,  but  its  genuineness  must  be  evinced 
by  good  evidence.  There  is  a  hope  for  eternal  life  which 
is  without  ourselves,  and  wrought  out  and  perfected  by 
the  finished  work  of  Christ  alone ;  and  there  is  a  per- 
sonal preparation  for  heaven  that  is  within  ourselves, 
that  is  inwrought  in  the  soul  by  the  operation  of  God's 
Spirit.  What  Christ  has  done /or  us  is  the  foundation 
of  our  hope  ;  what  he  has  done  in  us  is  the  evidence 
of  its  genuineness.  It  is  one  thing  for  the  foundation 
to  be  laid ;  another  to  build  on  that  foundation.  The 
foundation  stands,  though  I  refuse  to  build  upon  it ; 
while  my  building-  upon  it,  by  humbly  and  gratefully 
receiving  Christ  Jesus,  furnishes  me  the  only  assurance 
that  I  am  "growing  up  an  holy  temple  in  the  Lord." 
"  Christ  in  you  the  hope  of  glory" — this  is  the  evidence 
of  a  good  hope.     "  Hope  maketh  not  ashamed  because 

3 

t 


50  UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT  HOPE. 

the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  the  heart,  by  the 
Holy  Ghost."  And  "  this  is  the  love  of  God,  that  we 
keep  his  commandments."  Those  there  are  who  pro- 
fess to  have  hope  in  Christ,  who  neither  believe  in  him, 
nor  love  him,  nor  obey  him.  Men  may  not  persuade 
themselves  that  they  have  a  good  hope,  unless  they  can 
discover  these  marks  of  it.  They  have  no  hope — no 
hope  that  looketh  within  the  veil — none  that  is  the  pre- 
cursor and  earnest  of  heaven — none  that  will  not  in  a 
little  while  be  turned  into  despair.  It  is  a  hope  that 
is  dead,  and  severed  from  all  vital  contact  with  Christ 
and  holiness.  It  dwells  among  the  tombs ;  it  is  deso- 
late and  dark ;  it  is  a  living  death ;  a  hope  that  is  hope- 
less. 

Let  us  then  be  urged  to  greater  fidelity  in  inspecting 
the  nature,  the  foundation,  and  the  practical  influence 
of  our  hope.  Self-delusion  in  this  matter  may  over- 
take us  as  well  as  others.  We  may  not  take  it  for 
granted  that  we  have  a  good  hope,  without  honest  and 
thorough  inquiry.  "  As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus, 
the  Lord,  so  walk  in  him."  If  you  do  not  glory  in  his 
cross,  because  by  it  the  world  is  crucified  to  you,  and 
you  to  the  world ;  if  your  hope  rests  on  anything  but 
Christ,  and  does  not  lead  you  to  progressive  obedience 
to  his  will ;  it  is  false  and  spurious.  If,  upon  impartial 
inquiry,  you  find  your  hope  is  one  that  has  mocked 
you,  give  it  up.  If  it  be  so  with  any  of  you,  I  pray 
God  you  may  be  convinced  of  it.  It  is  a  miserable  and 
guilty  state  that  you  are  in,  and  you  must  see  and  feel 
it,  if  you  are  ever  brought  out  of  it,  and  into  the  glori- 
ous hope  and  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  It  is  an 
awful  thing  to  be  thus  deceived ;  but  blessed  be  God, 
there  is  a  way  of  return  and  recovery.     The  Saviour, 


UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT  HOPE,  51 

who  died,  proclaims,  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life ;  no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me." 
Every  one  that  will  may  come  in  this  "  new  and  living 
way."  Listen  to  his  invitations ;  embrace  his  offer ; 
lay  hold  of  his  promises. 

"  My  soul  would  fain  indulge  a  hope 
To  reach  the  heavenly  shore ; 
And  when  I  drop  tliis  dying  flesh, 
That  I  shall  sin  no  more. 

"  But  O !  this  dreadful  heart  of  sin, 
It  may  deceive  me  still ; 
And  while  I  look  for  joys  above, 
May  plunge  me  down  to  hell. 

"  Come  then,  O  blessed  Jesus !  come, 
To  me  thy  Spirit  give ; 
Shine  through  a  dark,  benighted  soul, 
And  bid  a  sinner  hve." 


Some  of  you  are  professedly  without  Christ,  without 
God  in  the  world,  and  are  sensible  that  you  have  no 
hope  that  can  stand  the  test  that  tries  the  spirits  of  men. 
What  shall  we  say  to  you  ?  My  friends,  you  are  mak- 
ing a  hazardous  experiment,  and  one  that  will  certainly 
disappoint  you.  You  cannot  live  thus,  and  yet  hope  to 
die  a  peaceful  death,  and  enjoy  a  happy  immortality. 
It  were  a  desperate  experiment,  equally  opposed  to  the 
truth  of  God,  to  all  the  known  principles  of  his  govern- 
ment, and  to  God  himself.  Your  hope  deserves  not  the 
name  of  hope  ;  for  God  is  not  in  all  your  thoughts. 
God  is  not  your  friend  ;  for  you  have  made  him  your 
enemy.  Instead  of  loving  him,  you  have  alienated 
yourselves  from  his  love,  and  have  boldly  said  to  him, 
"  Depart  from  us,  for  we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of 


52  UNBELIEVERS   WITHOUT  HOPE. 

thy  Ways."  Religion  is  a  burden  to  you  ;  its  privileges 
give  you  no  joy ;  you  drag  its  hopes  as  the  galley  slave 
drags  his  heavy  chain.  This  world  is  your  idol,  and 
could  you  command  its  bounty,  you  would  be  content 
to  dwell  in  it  for  ever.  Believe  me  it  is  time  for  you  to 
take  the  alarm.  You  are  going  to  your  own  place,  and 
the  graves  of  the  slain  are  there.  Your  descent  to  it 
is  rapid ;  it  is  as  dark  as  it  is  precipitous.  A  few 
slanting  and  oblique  beams  of  the  sun  may  fall  upon  it, 
and  that  sun  is  going  down.  Here  and  there  a  projec- 
ting bough,  or  tree,  scathed  by  the  lightning,  which 
has  twisted  its  roots  into  the  fissures  of  the  rock,  may 
intercept  your  progress,  and  break  your  fall ;  but  your 
feet  shall  slide  in  due  time,  and  to  that  world  below, 
that  bottomless  abyss,  whence  there  is  no  return. 

But  I  would  fain  believe  there  are  some  among  you 
whose  hope  is  as  an  anchor  to  the  soul,  sure  and  stead- 
fast. To  all  such  persons,  the  subject  on  which  we 
have  been  dwelling  addresses  the  most  delightful  en- 
couragement. A  Christian  seaman  has  the  same  high 
character  and  the  same  blessed  promise,  that  belong  to 
those  who  pursue  a  less  perilous,  and  more  tranquil  call- 
ing. The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower,  into 
which  the  righteous  runneth  and  is  safe.  You  may 
be  "  in  dangers  oft,"  but  he  that  keepeth  you  shall 
neither  slumber,  nor  sleep.  "  Though  you  take  the 
wings  of  the  morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  sea,  there  shall  his  hand  lead  you,  and  his  right  hand 
shall  hold  you."  No  matter  where  you  live,  or  where, 
or  when  you  die  ;  your  "  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God, 
and  when  he  who  is  your  life  shall  appear,  you  also 
shall  appear  with  him  in  glory."  No  matter  where 
your  mortal  body  may  find  its  last  rest ;  whether  in  tlie 


UNBELIEVERS  WITHOUT  HOPE.  53 

tranquil  grave-yard,  and  in  the  place  of  your  fathers' 
sepulchres,  in  the  deep  earth  ;  or  in  the  deeper  sea ;  it 
is  enough  that  the  great  Saviour  watches  over  it  as  his 
own,  and  at  his  voice  it  shall  come  forth. 

If  you  are  thus  "  begotten  again  to  a  living  hope  by 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead,"  let  it  be  seen 
that  yours  is  a  good  hope  through  grace.  Cherish 
such  a  hope  as  this,  and  honor  it  by  your  habitual  de- 
portment, fearing  God  and  departing  from  evil.  Cast 
not  away  this  confidence,  for  it  hath  great  recompense 
of  reward.  Hope  is  the  flower  of  Paradise,  left  to 
scatter  its  rich  perfume  over  a  dreary  world.  It  lives 
even  under  lowering  skies,  and  is  watered  by  the  spray 
of  the  ocean.  It  enhances  your  pleasures,  and  re- 
freshes your  toil ;  it  cheers  your  melancholy  and  soothes 
your  sorrows  ;  it  heals  your  wounds,  and  dissipates 
your  fears.  Clouds  may  hang  over  the  lowly  vale  of 
your  earthly  pilgrimage ;  but  the  light  of  hope  shall 
scatter  them.  Night  may  shut  in  and  cover  the  dark 
passage  which  leads  to  immortality ;  but  the  light  of 
hope  shall  stream  in  full  glory  there,  and  clear  up  the 
dark  valley.  *'  If  in  this  life  only  we  have  hope,  we 
are  of  all  men  the  most  to  be  commiserated."  It  is 
not  in  this  life  that  your  hopes  centre ;  you  will  not  be 
thus  miserable,  because  disappointed.  Nor  is  it  an 
imaginary  happines  in  an  imaginary  future  that  you  are 
searching  after — grasping  at  shadows,  and  rejecting  the 
substance.  Hope  may  be  firm  that  anticipates  eternal 
realities.  It  is  fast  anchored,  and  enters  into  that 
which  is  within  the  veil,  "  whither  the  Forerunner  has 
for  us  entered."  The  time  is  short ;  be  you  sober,  and 
watch  unto  prayer.  "  As  he  who  hath  called  you  is 
holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation  and 


54  UNBELIEVERS   WITHOUT  HOPE. 

godliness.  Be  ye  sober,  I  say,  and  watch  unto  prayer, 
lest  Satan  take  advantage  of  you;  lest  you  grieve  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  and  lest,  after  the  lusts  of  your  former  ig- 
norance, a  wound  be  inflicted  on  your  hopes  that  may 
not  be  healed,  though  you  seek  it  carefully  and  with 
tears. 


SERMON  y. 

THE  CURSE  OF  ABANDOTVMENT  RELUCTANTLY 

EXECUTED.  i 

HosEA  ii.  8.  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim  1  How  shall  I  de- 
liver thee,  Israel  ?  How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah,  and  set  thee 
as  Zeboim '? 

There  is  no  being  in  the  universe  to  whom  men  do  so 
much  injustice  as  the  God  of  heaven.  Those  who  most 
esteem  and  love  him,  are  far  from  giving  him  that  place 
in  their  esteem  and  love  which  he  deserves;  while 
those  who  hate  him,  look  upon  him  as  a  very  tyrant, 
and  think  and  speak  of  him  as  the  cruellest  despot  in 
the  world. 

The  Scriptures  exhibit  him  as  lovely,  as  he  is  great ; 
as  amiable,  as  he  is  infinite.  And  what  we  are  more 
specially  concerned  to  remark,  is,  they  set  forth  the 
tenderness  of  his  character,  in  those  very  acts  in  which 
he  appears  to  men  as  hard  and  severe. 

I  see  not  how  any  person  of  fair  and  candid  mind 
can  read  the  text  without  looking  upon  it  as  a  most 
amiable — nay,  a  most  touching  view  of  God.  Admah 
and  Zeboim  were  two  cities  on  the  western  shore  of 
what  is  now  the  Dead  Sea,  that  were  destroyed  by  fire 
from  heaven,  when  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were  con- 
sumed for  their  wickedness.  Ephraim  was  the  younger 
son  of  Joseph,  and  was  reckoned  among  the  sons  of 
Jacob.     His  descendants  constituted  a  distinct  tribe, 


56  THE  CURSE  OF  ABANDONMENT 

which  in  process  of  time  became  numerous  and  power- 
ful. Upon  the  revolt  of  the  ten  tribes  from  Judah  and 
Benjamin,  Ephraim  became  the  seat  of  empire  for  the 
ten  tribes,  and  the  whole  ten  tribes  were  called  Ephraim. 
From  the  time  of  this  separation,  the  ten  tribes  became 
to  the  last  degree  degenerate,  and  God  threatened  to 
abandon  them  to  the  fate  of  Sodom  and  the  cities  of  the 
plain.  All  hope  of  reforming  this  idolatrous  people 
seemed  to  have  died  away,  and  with  it  all  hope  of  their 
salvation.  Justice  seems  to  have  entered  upon  the  pro- 
cess of  destruction ;  but  just  as  the  blow  was  about  to 
fall,  the  arm  of  Omnipotence  hesitates,  and  the  sword 
is  returned  to  its  scabbard.  It  is  an  irrecoverable  blow 
when  once  it  is  struck ;  once  kindled,  the  flame  is  one 
that  is  never  quenched.  It  were  God's  strange  work 
thus  to  abandon  the  creatures  he  has  made  to  destruc- 
tion. "How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim?  How 
shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel  ?  How  shall  I  make  thee  as 
Admah  ?  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim  ?" 

I.  The  first  remark  suggested  by  this  affecting  repre- 
sentation, is,  that  there  are  instances  in  which  men  are 
given  up  of  God. 

All  men  who  finally  perish,  wax  worse  and  worse, 
until  the  cup  of  their  iniquity  is  full.  We  know  not 
where  the  point  is  in  this  descending  path,  beyond 
which  there  is  no  return ;  but  such  a  point  there  is, 
and  when  the  irrecoverable  step  is  taken,  and  the  sin- 
ner is  ripe  for  destruction,  it  is  in  vain  to  persuade 
him,  in  vain  to  pray,  or  even  hope  for  him. 

It  is  a  very  common  thing  for  God  to  deprive  such 
persons  of  all  the  ordinary  means  of  salvation.  The 
Bible,  the  Sabbath,  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  the 
offers  of  mercy,  and  all  the  things  which  belong  to  their 


RELUCTANTLY  EXECUTED.  57 

peace,  are  hidden  from  their  eyes.  "  Where  no  vision 
is,  the  people  perish  ;"  they  are  Hke  the  heathen,  who, 
because  they  did  not  Hke  to  retain  God  in  their  knowl- 
edge, are  given  over  to  a  reprobate  mind.  Take  away 
from  any  man,  or  any  class  of  men  the  ordinary  means 
of  salvation,  and  you  leave  them  little  hope,  because 
little  opportunity  of  entering  the  kingdom  of  God. 

From  such  persons,  God  also  is  very  apt  to  withdraw 
and  withhold  the  influences  of  his  Spirit.  He  gives  his 
Spirit  in  order  to  preserve  or  rescue  men  from  a  repro- 
bate mind  ;  when  the  sinner  is  abandoned,  these  influ- 
ences are  taken  away.  The  Spirit  of  God  no  longer 
convinces  him  of  sin  ;  nor  condescends  to  demolish  his 
excuses  and  show  him  his  lost  condition.  His  con- 
science is  no  longer  troubled  ;  he  no  longer  trembles 
at  the  coming  wrath,  nor  feels  the  need  of  a  Saviour. 
He  has  so  long  resisted  the  Spirit  of  God,  that  he  has 
taken  his  final  departure  from  him.  And  the  conse- 
quence is  that  he  laughs  and  sports  on  the  brink  of  per- 
dition, and  does  not  awake  until  he  awakes  in  hell. 
God  has  said,  "  my  Spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with 
man."  But  he  also  says,  "  Woe  be  unto  thee  when  I 
depart  from  thee  !"  When  he  thus  departs,  he  departs  to 
return  no  more  :  the  fate  of  the  sinner  is  sealed.  There 
may  be  a  short  reprieve  for  him  ;  but  his  fate  is  sealed. 
Wherever  and  however  long  he  may  live,  and  wherever 
he  may  wander  over  sea  or  land,  not  one  ray  of  heav- 
enly light  shall  beam  on  his  way.  He  has  forsaken 
God  ;  God  has  forgotten  him,  and  he  has  no  helper. 

From  those  who  have  thus  grieved  his  Spirit,  God 
also  more  usually  withholds  those  restraints  upon  wick- 
edness which  are  imposed  by  his  providence.  His  pa- 
tience has   become  wearied,  and   he  leaves  them  to 

3# 


58  THE  CURSE  OP  ABANDONMENT 

themselves.  They  Httle  know  how  much  they  are  in- 
debted to  his  restraining  and  preventing  providence  ; 
nor  how  sad  the  sentence  that  is  passed  upon  them, 
when  he  commissions  these  ten  thousand  restraints  and 
preventives  to  let  them  alone.  Let  the  sinner  loose  from 
all  these,  and  it  takes  but  little  to  make  his  heart  like  a 
rock  of  adamant.  Nothing  moves  him  ;  he  is  rash  and 
reckless  ;  he  is  ungovernable  and  headstrong  ;  he  is  just 
fitted  for  perdition.  God  suffers  his  law  to  have  its 
course  upon  him  and  he  dies  in  his  iniquity.  His  char- 
acter is  formed ;  and  the  divine  long-suffering  has  done 
for  him  all  that  it  can  perform.  He  needs  no  farther 
day  of  grace ;  it  is  of  no  use  to  wait  upon  him  any 
longer.  Mercy  has  uttered  her  last  admonition,  and 
given  him  over  to  the  hands  of  inexorable  justice.  He 
has  not  a  friend  in  the  universe.  Heaven  has  no 
helper  for  him  now.  God  himself  is  his  enemy.  Jus- 
tice, so  slow  to  anger,  and  so  long  delayed,  now  takes 
its  course.  The  tempest  beats  upon  him ;  keen  and 
bitter  are  its  blasts  of  irritated  and  eternal  vengeance. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  sinner  is  sometimes  given  up  of 
God.  Now  we  say  it  is  a  fearful  act  thus  to  give  him 
up.  A  righteous  act  it  is,  none  may  fault  it ;  but  it  is 
not  the  less  grievous  and  fearful.  Holiness  calls  for 
just  such  hatred  of  iniquity  as  this ;  justice  demands 
just  honors.  They  have  been  multiplied  in  ages  that 
are  past,  and  will  be  repeated  in  ages  yet  to  come. 
Yet  it  is  most  reluctantly  that  such  deeds  are  done,  and 
that  such  acts  of  Almighty  vengeance  must  be  recorded. 
We  are  at  no  loss  to  understand  the  solicitude,  the  ten- 
derness, which  would  stay,  and  if  possible,  arrest  the 
blow.  It  is  but  a  natural  expression  of  all  that  is  kind 
and  Godlike  in  the   Deity,  that   he  should  be  repre- 


RELUCTANTLY  EXECUTED.  59 

sented  as  saying,  "  How  shall  I  give  thee  up  ?  how 
shall  I  deliver  thee  ?  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Admah, 
and  make  thee  as  Zeboim  ?"  The  sentence  is  too  ter- 
rible a  one  not  to  be  reluctantly  executed ;  nor  does 
God  ever  execute  it  but  with  reluctance. 

We  shall  dwell  a  few  moments  on  this  truth,  and  il- 
lustrate it  by  the  following  considerations.  We  prove 
it  from  w^hat  God  is,  from  what  he  has  said,  and  from 
what  he  has  done. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  evident  from  what  God  is. 
There  are  those  who  can  contemplate  the  abandonment 
and  perdition  of  men  with  indifference ;  they  care  not 
whether  they  are  saved  or  lost.  There  are  those,  also, 
who  contemplate  such  a  disaster  with  a  gratified  and 
malignant  pleasure  ;  and  who,  could  they  execute  the 
sentence,  would  execute  it  with  right  good  will.  But 
they  are  vile  men  that  feel  thus  ;  they  are  more  like 
devils  than  like  men.  It  is  the  devil's  work  to  tempt 
and  seduce  men  to  destruction,  and  glory  in  their 
death. 

But  God  is  no  such  being  as  this.  He  does  not  look 
on  the  sinner's  destruction,  even  with  indifference, 
much  less  with  pleasure.  God  is  good ;  God  is  love. 
Goodness  is  his  distinguishing  character  ;  it  is  his  glory, 
and  may  be  said  to  constitute  his  whole  nature.  He  is 
kind  to  the  meanest,  to  the  vilest,  to  the  most  ungrate- 
ful of  his  creatures.  "  He  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender 
mercies  are  over  all  his  works."  No  man  can  believe 
that  such  a  being  made  men  on  purpose  to  damn  them ; 
that  he  takes  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  sinner ;  and 
that  he  waits  eagerly  for  the  opportunity  and  the  time  to 
destroy  them.  No,  no ;  it  would  be  making  him  a  very 
different  being  from  what  he  is,  to  suppose  that  it  is 


60  THE  CURSE  OF  ABANDONMENT 

any  pleasure  to  him  that  the  wickedest  sinner  in  the 
world  should  lie  down  in  hell.  He  may  consign  him, 
and  unless  he  repents,  will  consign  him  to  everlasting 
sorrow ;  but  nothing  but  necessity,  nothing  but  firm  and 
unyielding  principle,  nothing  but  the  safety  of  his  great 
empire,  would  ever  urge  him  to  such  an  act  of  puni- 
tive justice.  "  Fury  is  not  in  him."  He  has  not  one 
feeling  of  cruelty,  one  mahgnant  emotion  in  his  bosom. 
There  is  no  being  in  the  universe  whose  heart  is  so 
full  of  tenderness  as  his. 

2.  But  we  may  advert,  in  the  second  place,  to  what 
he  has  said.  I  mean  what  he  has  said  upon  this  sub- 
ject. And  what  has  he  said  ?  what  is  he  now  saying  ? 
When  he  revealed  his  name  to  Moses,  it  was  "  The 
Lord,  the  Lord  God  merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to 
anger,  and  of  great  kindness."  Again  he  says,  "  I  have 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth."  Elsewhere 
he  declares  that  "  he  is  not  willing  that  any  should  per- 
ish, but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance."  And  as 
though  he  doubted  if  men  would  believe  him,  before 
heaven  and  earth  he  makes  the  still  more  solemn  and 
emphatic  asseveration,  "  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked ;  but  that 
the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and  live.  Turn  ye,  turn 
ye,  from  your  evil  ways ;  for  why  will  ye  die  ?"  In 
perfect  accordance  with  declarations  like  these  are  the 
urgent  and  pressing  invitations  of  his  grace.  "  Ho 
every  one  that  thirsteth,  come."  "All  ye  that  are 
weary  and  heavy  laden,  come  unto  me."  "  The  Spirit 
and  the  Bride  say  come  ;  let  him  that  heareth  say  come ; 
let  him  that  is  athirst  come ;  and  whosoever  will,  let 
him  take  of  the  water  of  life  freely."  Of  the  same  im- 
port and  spirit  are  the  commands  of  his  Gospel,  when 


RELUCTANTLY  EXECUTED.  Ql 

he  says,  *'  Wash  you,  make  you  clean ;"  "  repent  and 
turn  yourselves  from  all  your  transgressions,  so  in- 
iquity shall  not  be  your  ruin ;"  "  God  now  command- 
eth  all  men  everywhere  to  repent."  If  there  are  warn- 
ings in  his  word,  they  are  to  induce  men  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come  ;  if  there  are  exhortations  and  ad- 
monitions, they  are  to  urge  them  to  lay  hold  on  eternal 
life.  God  would  not  thus  invite,  and  command,  and 
admonish,  and  exhort  men  to  escape  from  hell  and  flee 
to  heaven,  if  he  had  no  benevolent  hesitation,  no  scru- 
ples of  tenderness,  no  solicitude,  no  reluctance  to  de- 
stroy. There  are  so  many  declarations  in  his  word 
which  show  the  spirit  expressed  in  our  text,  that  we  find 
it  difficult  to  make  a  selection  of  them.  We  beg  you  to 
read  his  word ;  to  listen  to  the  melting  appeals  of  his 
compassion  there ;  to  mark  the  struggle  within  his 
heart,  as  he  gives  up  the  incorrigible  to  their  doom ; 
and  after  he  has  given  them  up,  to  hear  him  say,  "  O 
that  thou  hadst  known  the  things  which  belong  to  thy 
peace." 

3.  Let  us  advert  then  in  the  third  place,  to  what  he 
has  done.  "  Actions  speak  louder  than  words."  What 
has  he  done,  in  order  to  show  men  that  if  he  must  de- 
stroy, it  is  only  because  he  must,  and  not  because  he 
delights  so  to  do.  First  of  all,  he  sent  his  Son  to  seek 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost ;  through  trials,  through 
shame,  through  the  humiliation  of  our  nature,  and  the 
agony  of  the  accursed  tree.  He  has  made  his  works 
and  providence  subservient  to  this  redemption,  urging 
its  claims  and  unfolding  its  tenderness.  He  has  re- 
vealed his  truths  and  grace  in  his  word ;  he  has  insti- 
tuted the  Sabbath  and  its  sanctuaries  and  ministrations, 
and  so  multiplied  the  means  of  grace  and  salvation,  that 


62  THE  CURSE  OF  ABANDONMENT 

it  is  difficult  for  us  to  see  how  could  he  have  done  more 
than  he  has  already  done.  Never  did  sinner  come  to 
him  who  was  cast  out ;  never  did  a  poor  prodigal  re- 
turn to  him,  but  he  was  made  welcome,  and  there  was 
joy  on  his  return,  both  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  And 
even  those  whom  he  has  been  constrained  to  destroy, 
has  he  borne  with,  with  great  long-suffering.  He  has 
waited  upon  them,  till  further  waiting  was  useless. 
There  is  not  a  reprobate  now  in  the  world  of  darkness, 
whose  history  does  not  honor  the  Divine  clemency  and 
forbearance.  He  keeps  back  the  blow  till  he  can  keep 
it  back  no  longer,  till  the  last  hour  in  the  death-warrant 
of  the  sentenced  offender  is  on  the  wing.  And  even 
then  he  reluctates — even  then  he  hesitates  to  strike — 
even  then  he  is  saying,  "  How  shall  I  give  them  up  ? 
how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Admah,  how  shall  I  make  thee 
as  Zeboim  ?"  And  not  till  then  is  the  hardened  repro- 
bate given  over  to  the  tormentors.  ^ 

Some  of  you,  my  friends,  God  may  thus  give  up ; 
but  if  he  does  so,  it  will  not  be  because  he  has  no  re- 
gard for  you,  nor  that  your  eternal  welfare  is  with  him 
a  matter  of  no  concern.  It  will  be  through  your  own 
folly  and  fault,  and  because  you  are  so  sinful.  Sin 
he  must  hate,  and  the  incorrigible  sinner  he  must  de- 
stroy. He  cannot  help  pitying,  but  he  cannot  help 
cursing  him.  It  were  more  than  his  honor  is  worth  to 
hold  such  a  man  guiltless. 

It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  be  thus  given  up  of  God ;  I  pray 
you  see  to  it  that  you  are  not  thus  abandoned.  Now 
God  offers  you  his  mercy ;  in  a  little  while,  the  voice  of 
his  mercy  will  be  dumb.  You  have  his  Sabbaths  now ; 
and  they  cheer  you.  They  are  full  of  hope.  But 
these  sweet  cheerings  of  this  day  of  the  Son  of  Man, 


RELUCTANTLY  EXECUTED.       <  63 

these  bright  hopes  will  ere  long  become  depression  and 
despair,  if  you  seek  not  more  earnestly  to  enter  into  the 
kingdom.  What  you  need  is  the  same  sincerity  in 
seeking,  which  God  expresses  in  offering  you  eternal 
Ufe  ;  the  same  reluctance  to  endure,  which  he  feels  in 
inflicting,  the  death  you  deserve.  His  sincerity  in  of- 
fering is  indorsed  by  motives  as  tender  and  endearing 
as  his  own  infinite  and  loving  mind  knows  how  to  ex- 
press ;  his  reluctance  in  inflicting  is  testified  by  expos- 
tulations, and  entreaties,  and  tears.  Will  you  be  un- 
mindful of  them — deaf  to  them  ?  Is  there  nothing  that 
can  persuade  you  to  be  holy  and  happy  ?  Will  nothing 
induce  you  to  become  willing  to  be  saved  ?"  "  Wilt 
thou  not  be  made  whole?  When  shall  it  once  be? 
Will  you, — why  will  you  die  ?" 


SERMON  VI. 

SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED. 

Numbers  xxxii.  23.     And  be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out. 

The  Great  God  is  a  terrible  enemy  to  all  sin.  He 
cannot  look  upon  it  without  abhorrence.  He  solemnly 
commands  men  not  to  commit  it ;  and  if  they  have 
committed  it,  he  requires  them  to  repent  of  it,  to  for- 
sake it,  and  to  repair  to  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  that 
it  may  be  washed  away.  This  is  their  only  hope  ;  and 
he  urges  them  to  do  this,  so  that  "  their  iniquity  may 
not  be  their  ruin." 

Yet,  strange  to  say,  there  are  very  many  persons  who 
will  sin ;  they  love  to  sin  ;  they  are  determined  to  sin, 
be  the  consequences  what  they  may.  But  they  do  not 
mean  to  be  found  out ;  they  sin  secretly,  and  have  an 
inward  hope  that  their  wickedness  will  never  be  known. 

Now,  God  says  to  all  such  persons,  "  Be  sure  your 
sin  WiWfind  you  out."  Nothing  is  more  true  than  this ; 
and  I  wish,  by  God's  blessing,  so  to  exhibit  and  prove 
this  truth,  that  all  may  see,  and  feel  it ;  may  forsake 
their  sins,  and  find  mercy.     I  remark,  therefore, 

I.  In  the  first  place,  that  the  man  who  indulges  him- 
self in  secret  sin  has,  within  his  own  bosom,  a  conscience 
which  will  betray  him. 

He  is  acquainted  with  his  own  sin ;  if  nobody  else 
knows  it,  he  himself  knows  it.     King  Solomon  said  to 


SIN  DETECTED   AND   EXPOSED.  §5 

Shimei,  the  Benjamite,  who  abused  David  in  the  day 
of  his  calamity,  and  cursed  him,  "  Thou  knowest  all  the 
wickedness  which  thy  heart  is  privy  to,  that  thou  didst 
to  David,  my  father :  therefore  the  Lord  shall  return 
thy  wickedness  upon  thine  own  head."  No  man  need 
expect  to  keep  his  sins  secret,  so  long  as  he  knows 
them  himself.  He  may  forget  them,  and  for  a  while 
lose  sight  of  them  ;  but  when  his  memory  comes  to  be 
refreshed,  and  he  is  reminded  of  them  ;  when  he  is 
forced  to  call  them  to  remembrance,  and  cannot  help 
reflecting  upon  them,  nor  divert  his  mind  from  the 
melancholy  subject ;  the  only  relief  he  has  is  to  make 
them  known.  I  have  known  of  men  who  stole  money 
from  their  employers,  and  nobody  knew  it  but  them- 
selves, whose  conscience  was  so  burdened  with  the  sin, 
that  they  could  not  rest  until  they  had  gone  and  con- 
fessed it,  and  made  restitution.  I  have  read  of  a  mur- 
derer, who  had  wickedly  killed  one  of  his  fellow 
creatures,  and  who  never  was  detected  by  all  the 
search  that  could  be  made,  who,  years  after  the  crime 
was  committed,  was  so  troubled  in  his  own  conscience 
for  what  he  had  done,  that  he  went  one  day  into  open 
court,  and  told  the  judges  that  he  was  the  guilty  mur- 
derer. Men  will  always  expose  their  own  sins  when 
they  find  greater  relief  of  mind  in  confessing  them  than 
in  keeping  them  secret.  And  they  had  often  rather 
confess  them,  and  know  the  worst,  than  suffer  the  slow 
flame  to  be  always  burning  in  their  own  bosoms. 

There  are  sins  with  which  no  man  can  trust  himself. 
His  conscience  will  tell  of  them.  When  he  was  about 
to  commit  them,  she  tried  to  prevent  him  ;  by  all  the 
means  in  her  power  she  tried  to  restrain  him.  She 
whispered  in  his  ear,  not  to  do  the  fearful  deed ;  and 


66  SIN   DETECTED   AND   EXPOSED. 

told  him  at  the  time,  that  if  he  would  not  listen  to  her, 
she  would  expose  him.  She  was  on  the  spot,  and  re- 
corded it  in  her  memory.  And  because  he  silenced 
her,  and  abused  her,  and  treated  her  as  an  enemy,  the 
time  is  coming  when  she  will  be  revenged,  and  publish 
his  wickedness  to  the  world.  That  man  is  always 
miserable  who  has  a  guilty  conscience.  "  A  fire  not 
blown  consumes  him."  Conscious  guilt  renders  him 
suspicious  that  others  know  all  about  him,  and  makes 
him  afraid  of  everybody.  He  "  trembles  at  the  shak- 
ing of  a  leaf."  He  often  suspects  he  is  known,  where 
he  is  unknown.  If  he  is  in  the  midst  of  friends,  the 
sudden  appearance  of  a  strange  face  disturbs  him ;  and 
the  thought  passes  through  his  mind,  perhaps  this  man 
knows  me !  In  the  midst  of  laughter,  his  mirth  is  bois- 
terous, or  his  heart  is  sorrowful.  An  equivocal  remark, 
an  incidental  inquiry,  a  scrutinizing  glance  alarms  him. 
Like  the  guilty  monarch  of  Babylon,  whom  we  read  of 
in  the  Bible,  surrounded  by  his  guards  and  princes,  and 
amid  all  the  delights  of  music  and  the  revelry  of  feast- 
ing, he  is  terrified  by  a  sentence  which  he  does  not 
even  understand. 

In  the  time  of  prosperity  and  glee,  men  may  still  the 
voice  of  conscience,  though  they  are  actually  charge- 
able with  atrocious  crimes.  But  when  calamity  over- 
takes them,  conscience  is  not  always  so  easily  silenced. 
More  than  twenty  years  rolled  away,  and  Joseph's 
brethren  appear  to  have  had  no  compunction  for  selling 
their  own  father's  son  as  a  slave  to  the  Midianites. 
They  had  kept  the  secret,  and  no  doubt  thought  that  it 
would  remain  buried  in  their  own  breasts.  But  in  the 
providence  of  God  they  were  sent  into  Egypt  them- 
selves, and  by  a  cluster  of  circumstances  which  they 


SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED.        67 

could  not  foresee,  they  stood  agitated  and  trembling  in 
the  presence  of  that  very  brother  whom  they  had  so 
wickedly  sold.  He  knew  them,  but  they  did  not  know 
Mm.  And  conscience  could  no  longer  sleep.  They 
looked  at  one  another,  and  all  seemed  to  have,  at  once, 
the  same  self-reproving  thoughts.  And  they  said  unto 
one  another,  "  We  are  verily  guilty  concerning  our 
brother,  in  that  we  saw  the  anguish  of  his  soul  when  he 
besought  us,  and  we  would  not  hear ;  therefore  is  this 
distress  come  upon  us  !" 

Conscience  is  the  great  betrayer  of  secret  sin .  It  is 
one  of  the  laws  of  God's  government,  that  the  appre- 
hensions and  forebodings  of  the  mind  under  remorse 
shall,  sooner  or  later,  force  the  offender  to  the  confes- 
sion of  his  own  guilt,  and  constrain  him  to  be  the  pub- 
lisher of  his  shame.  No  vigor  of  intellect,  no  strength 
of  nerve,  no  sworn  purpose  of  secrecy  is  able  to  stand 
out  against  the  urgent  pressure  of  a  guilty  and  incensed 
conscience.  When  God  commands  her  to  speak,  she 
will  speak,  and  speak  out,  to  the  confusion  of  all  the 
workers  of  iniquity.  As  nothing  can  suppress  the  in- 
w^ard  complaints,  so  nothing  can  suppress  the  outward 
murmurings,  of  that  inward  condemnation  which  a 
guilty  and  terrified  mind  feels  when  bleeding,  writhing 
under  the  agonies  of  an  accusing  conscience.  You 
can  go  into  no  society  where  conscience  is  not  one  of 
your  associates  ;  you  can  enter  no  solitude  where  con- 
science does  not  follow  you  ;  conscience  can  make 
you  pale  on  your  lonely  pillow ;  and  even  sleep,  when  it 
covers  you  with  its  heavy  pall,  does  not  so  overpower 
the  mind,  but  agitating  dreams  and  visions  creep  stealth- 
ily beneath  its  folds,  and  this  unwelcome  messenger 
whispers,  "  Thou  art  the  man  !" 


QQ  SIN   DETECTED   AND   EXPOSED. 

But  this  is  not  all :  I  remark 

II.  The  man  who  practises  secret  sin  may  expect  to 
be  detected  and  exposed  by  the  providence  of  God. 

*'  Verily  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth." 
That  God  is  everywhere.  He  is  present  with  all  his 
creatures,  and  with  every  one  of  them  at  the  same 
time.  He  is  in  all  places,  even  the  most  distant,  without 
being  separated  by  distance,  or  confined  by  space.  Go 
beyond  the  height  of  the  heavens,  he  is  there ;  beyond 
the  length  of  the  earth,  and  the  breadth  of  the  ocean, 
he  is  there.  The  king's  palace,  and  the  seaman's 
cabin,  alike  contain  him.  The  most  lonesome  as  well 
as  the  most  populous  haunts  of  iniquity,  the  most 
hidden  recesses  and  the  deepest  caverns  of  wickedness 
are  always  under  his  immediate  inspection.  Impious 
the  thought,  and  vain  the  attempt,  to  fly  from  the  face 
of  God.  Neither  land,  nor  sea,  nor  earth,  nor  heaven, 
nor  hell  itself,  has  any  retreat  for  man,  where  he  can 
lurk  unseen,  and  remain  hidden  from  that  all-seeing  eye 
to  which  even  the  blackest  darkness  is  not  dark,  and 
night  itself  is  as  light  as  day. 

In  a  thousand  ways,  unknown  and  unsuspected  by 
men,  he  can  expose  their  sin.  Strange  indeed  is  it, 
that  they  should  ever  be  so  infatuated,  as  to  persuade 
themselves  that  they  can  keep  it  secret  when  he  under- 
takes to  bring  it  to  light.  They  may  be  politic  and 
wise  in  their  commission  of  it,  while  their  very  policy 
and  wisdom  may  be  so  directed  by  his  providence  as  to 
indicate  the  means  of  its  discovery  ;  and  the  very 
plans  on  which  they  have  relied  for  concealing  it  may 
proclaim  their  guilt.  How  often  has  it  been  verified  in 
the  history  of  crime,  that  wonted  forethought  and  pru- 
dence so  forsake  the  transgressor,  that  it  would  seem 


SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED. 


69 


as  though  he  was  determined  to  be  his  own  accuser ! 
Studied  secrecy  is  sometimes  too  artful  and  defeats  its 
own  designs.  While  men  are  attempting  to  circum- 
vent the  providence  of  God,  they  are  only  throwing 
themselves  into  his  hands,  and  giving  his  providence 
the  better  opportunity  of  circumventing  them.  Man 
is  wise,  but  God  is  wiser  ;  he  is  artful,  but  God  is  above 
him  ;  it  is  in  vain  for  the  artful  transgressor  to  say, 
"  Can  he  see  through  the  dark  cloud  ?" 

We  are  told  in  the  Bible,  that  "  the  eyes  of  the  Lord 
run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  earth,  to  show  himself 
strong  in  behalf  of  them  whose'  heart  is  perfect  toward 
him."  Are  they  not  also  ever  present,  and  ever  wake- 
ful to  detect  the  secret  transgressor  ?  Your  eye  cannot 
see  him,  your  ear  cannot  hear  him,  your  touch  cannot 
feel  him  ;  yet  are  you  everywhere  encircled  with  God. 
You  cannot  be  so  unknown,  but  he  knows  your  down- 
setting,  and  your  uprising,  and  understands  your 
thoughts  afar  off.  You  cannot  be  so  forgotten,  but  he 
remembers  all  your  wickedness.  It  is  a  comfort  to 
good  and  Christian  men,  that  amid  all  their  sorrows — 
sorrows  unknown  to  the  world — sorrows  which  they 
may  not  or  cannot  disclose — He  who  sees  the  sparrow 
and  the  worm,  and  counts  the  sands  on  the  shore,  sees 
them  all.  And  what  a  discomfort  to  the  wicked  ?  How 
withering  the  thought,  that  God  sees  them ;  watches 
them ;  follows  hard  after  them !  What  fearful  terrors 
to  the  secret  transgressor,  amid  sins  which,  it  may  be, 
neither  friends  nor  foes  have  witnessed,  and  which  no 
human  being  knows,  that  the  great  Witness  and  Judge 
sees  them  all ;  that  the  next  page  of  his  providence  may 
disclose  the  public  record  of  them,  and  that  his  own 


70  SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED. 

voice  will  rehearse  them,  though  the  recital  should 
make  every  ear  that  hears  him  to  tingle. 

Nor  is  this  all :  I  remark, 

III.  There  are  others  besides  the  Almighty  God,  who 
know  more  of  the  secret  wickedness  of  men  than  they 
themselves  suppose,  and  who  are  interested  to  tell  of  it. 

Men  know  it,  and  will  tell  of  it  too.  Your  guilty  ac- 
complice knows  it ;  all  your  guilty  companions  know 
it.  Now  it  may  be  for  their  interest  to  keep  it  secret ; 
but  it  will  not  be  so  always.  They  may  be  sworn  to 
secrecy ;  but  their  oath  of  secrecy  will  be  laughed  at 
and  broken  when  the  time  comes  that  their  selfishness 
and  pride  shall  be  the  gainer  by  the  perjury.  Your 
friend  may  know  it ;  but  he  may  become  your  enemy. 
Your  dearest  friend  may  know  it ;  she  that  sleeps  in 
your  bosom ;  your  wife,  your  child  may  know  it,  and 
may  chide  you  With  it  in  a  moment  of  inconsiderate 
rashness  ;  or  may  turn  against  you  in  order  to  protect 
themselves.  Or  they  may  whisper  it  in  the  closet ;  or 
may  utter  it  in  their  dreams. 

There  are  others,  besides  men,  who  know  and  may 
declare  it.  There  are  invisible  spirits  everywhere 
about  you ;  spirits  of  good,  and  spirits  of  evil.  Evil 
spirits  know  it,  for  they  tempted  you  to  commit  the 
wickedness.  They  helped  you  to  excuse  it,  and  when 
you  hesitated,  they  promised  to  cover  it  with  the  veil 
of  secrecy.  But  the  devil  is  not  to  be  trusted  with  such 
secrets.  He  is  a  liar  from  the  beginning.  He  is  very 
artful  in  getting  men  into  difficulty,  and  very  faithless 
in  getting  them  out  of  it.  He  only  waits  permission 
from  his  great  Sovereign,  not  only  to  proclaim  your 
folly,  but  to  aggravate  your  shame.  He  at  least  des- 
pises you  for  being  the  victim  of  his  devices ;  and  is 


SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED.        71 

just  mean  enough  to  triumph  over  you  when  you  have 
falleu.  He  is  your  greatest  enemy,  and  would  cover 
you  with  confusion.  He  is  quite  familiar  with  scenes 
of  wickedness.  He  notes  and  marks  them,  and  visits 
them  to  see  who  is  there,  and  to  offer  his  counsel,  and 
lend  a  helping  hand  in  all  their  iniquity.  And,  believe 
me,  no  sooner  do  they  become  the  victims  of  his  sub- 
tlety, than  he  glories  in  it,  and  boasts  himself  that  they 
were  taken  captive  by  him  at  his  will. 

There  are  good  spirits,  too,  everywhere  hovering 
around  men.  These  winged  messengers  of  heavenly 
mercy,  are  ever  and  anon  fulfilling  their  errands  of 
love;  and  never  more  opportunely  than  by  warning 
the  tempted  of  their  danger,  and  suggesting  those  more 
virtuous  resolutions  which  may  break  the  snare  of  the 
Evil  One.  Through  their  watchful  ministrations,  many 
a  dark  and  dreary  path  is  changed  as  though  by  magic, 
and  becomes  radiant  with  light  and  beauty.  Though 
unseen  by  you,  they  saw  the  sin  you  vainly  hoped  to 
conceal.  They  stood  near  you,  and  entreated  you, 
with  silent  and  matchless  eloquence,  not  to  touch  "  that 
abominable  thing  which  God's  soul  hateth."  They 
came  down  from  heaven  on  purpose  to  resist  the  se- 
duction of  those  foul  spirits  that  were  tempting  you. 
They  could  have  foiled  the  adversary  but  for  you ;  but 
you  would  not  listen  to  them.  And  when  you  com- 
mitted that  deed  of  wickedness,  they  noted  it  down. 
They  were  grieved  that  you  committed  it,  and  won- 
dered at  your  presumption.  And  they  have  preserved 
it  in  long  remembrance,  and  are  witnesses  against  you. 
You  would  not  be  diverted  from  your  purpose ;  and 
now  these  holy  and  angelic  ones  stand  ready,  when 


72  SIN   DETECTED   AND   EXPOSED. 

your  trial  comes  on,  to  bear  witness  against  you.  I 
remark  also, 

IV.  In  the  fourth  place,  there  is  still  another  witness 
to  your  folly,  though  the  time  for  his  testimony  is  not 
yet  arrived :  I  mean  the  great  Revealer,  Death. 

He,  too,  is  everywhere  about  your  path  and  about 
your  bed.  Wherever  there  is  life,  there  is  Death.  He 
is  in  the  sea,  as  well  as  on  the  land ;  with  his  gigantic 
strides  he  compasses  the  wide  circumference  of  this 
inhabited  globe.  The  utmost  extent  of  human  skill, 
and  vigilance,  and  vigor,  cannot  resist  his  power.  He 
is  in  the  whirlwind  and  in  the  gentle  breeze.  He 
watches  aloft,  and  he  sits  below  on  the  foaming  billow. 
He  comes  on  the  burning  rays  of  the  meridian  sun,  and 
in  the  tranquil  moonlight.  He  is  imbodied  in  the  at- 
mosphere. He  is  borne  along  throughout  the  unruf- 
fled voyage  of  human  existence,  and  lurks  unseen  on 
many  a  lee  shore.  Wherever  we  move,  and  to  what- 
ever point  we  direct  our  steps,  in  every  place,  and  time, 
and  circumstance,  he  is  there.  Men  do  not  move  hand 
or  foot,  but  he  observes  them  ;  nor  form  a  passing 
thought  which  he  does  not  see,  nor  speak  so  much  as  a 
single  profane  word  which  he  does  not  hear. 

How  terrible  the  thought  to  a  wicked  man,  that  Death 
is  so  near  him, — ^just  waiting  for  the  patience  of  God 
to  come  to  an  end,  in  order  to  strike  the  blow !  The 
thoughtless  sailor  braves  the  storms  and  perils  of  the 
ocean,  and  fetches  at  last  the  circumference  of  the 
globe,  and  comes  home,  and  finds  that  he  has  been  sail- 
ing round  this  little  ball  of  earth  only  to  die.  Or  per- 
haps he  sleeps  where  the  sea-weed  grows,  and  the  sea- 
monsters  nurse  their  young  ones,  and  the  coral  rock  is 
anchored — where  heroes  sleep,  and  navies  are  forgotten. 


SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED.        73 

This  is  no  illusion.  Death's  grim  form  stalks  alike 
amid  the  frequented  and  the  solitary  abodes  of  men. 
His  spectre  hovered  there  over  those  scenes  of  almost 
forgotten  wickedness.  His  ghastly  eye  was  there ;  on 
his  ear  fell  that  soft  whisper,  those  still,  and  almost  se- 
pulchral breathings,  that  were  not  meant  for  mortal  man 
to  hear.  All-pervading,  unrelenting  Death,  will  reveal 
that  unknown  wickedness.  Nothing  shall  have  power 
to  silence  his  testimony.  He  shall  come  into  your  win- 
dows on  the  land,  or  stand  by  your  hammock  on  the 
sea ;  he  shall  have  a  place  near  that  bed  of  languish- 
ing, and  there  recount  your  crimes,  find  out  your  sin, 
and  fill  you  with  his  reproaches. 

I  have  but  one  more,  and 

V.  A  fifth  remark,  which  is,  that  after  death,  there  is 
a  judgment. 

This  is  heaven's  high  and  unchangeable  decree. 
"  God  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which  he  will  judge  the 
world  in  righteousness."  We  do  not  know  when  that 
Day  will  come ;  and  only  know  that  then  every  man 
must  give  an  account  of  himself  unto  God.  The  morn- 
ing of  that  Day  shall  break  on  this  slumbering  world 
when  men  think  httle  of  its  coming.  The  graves  shall  be 
opened  ;  the  sea  shall  give  up  her  dead ;  men  and  angels 
— all,  all  shall  appear  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ. 

Who  shall  say,  that  Day  is  not  near  to  him  ?  There 
is  amazing  emphasis  in  those  few  words,  "  after  death, 
the  judgment !"  The  hour  seems  indeed  far  distant ; 
but  it  will  be  as  soon  as  time,  with  his  eagle  wings  shall 
have  finished  his  short  career  on  earth.  Intervening 
ages  pass  rapidly  over  those  who  sleep  in  the  dust,  and 
in  the  caverns  of  the  great  deep.  There  is  no  dial 
plate  there,  on  which  to  count  the  hours  of  time.     No 

4 


74  SIN  DETECTED   AND   EXPOSED. 

longer  is  it  told  by  days,  or  months,  or  years,  nor  by 
observation  of  the  heavenly  bodies ;  for  the  planets 
which  mark  these  periods  are  hidden  from  their  sight. 
Its  flight  is  no  longer  noted  by  events  perceived  by  the 
senses ;  for  the  ear  is  deaf,  and  the  eye  is  closed.  The 
busy  world  of  life  which  wakes  at  each  morning,  and 
ceases  at  every  night,  goes  on  above  them;  but  to 
them  all  is  silent  and  unseen.  The  greetings  of  joy 
and  the  voice  of  grief,  the  revolution  of  empires  and 
the  lapse  of  ages,  send  no  sound  within  that  narrow 
cell.  Generation  after  generation  are  brought  and  laid 
by  their  side  ;  the  monumental  marble  tells  the  centuries 
that  have  passed  away ;  but  to  the  sleeping  dead  the 
long  interval  is  unobserved.  Like  a  dream  of  the 
night,  when,  with  the  quickness  of  thought,  the  mind 
ranges  time  and  place  almost  without  a  limit,  there  is  but 
a  moment  between  the  hour  when  the  eye  is  closed  in 
the  grave,  and  when  it  wakes  to  the  judgment. 

We  sicken  over  the  sins  of  men,  and  sometimes 
wonder  why  they  are  not  always  found  out  in  the  pres- 
ent world.  But  at  that  Day  everything  will  be  re- 
vealed just  as  it  is.  *'  The  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  arch- 
angel and  the  trump  of  God."  The  Son  of  Man  shall 
come  with  power  and  great  glory,  and  "  before  him 
shall  stand  all  nations."  Sovereigns  and  slaves  shall  be 
there.  Rich  and  poor,  young  and  old,  male  and  female, 
seamen  and  landsmen,  shall  be  there.  Deeds  of  soli- 
tary and  associated  wickedness  shall  then  stand  forth; 
long  forgotten  deeds  shall  then  be  remembered  ;  deeds 
till  then  unknown  shall  be  disclosed.  Deeds  committed 
under  the  veil  of  night  shall  then  be  set  in  the  light  of 
God's  countenance.     Deeds  done  in  foreign  lands,  or  in 


SIN  DETECTED  AND  EXPOSED.        75 

the  islands  of  the  sea,  and  far  away  from  human  eyes, 
shall  no  longer  lose  then'  atrocity  in  the  distance  of 
place,  time,  or  retirement ;  but  every  ear  shall  hear  of 
them. 

The  sentence  of  men  will  be  of  little  moment  then, 
compared  with  the  judgment  of  God.  Yet  will  his 
judgment  be  sanctioned,  justified,  honored  by  the  unani- 
mous voice  of  all  the  universe.  And  what  is  never  to 
be  lost  sight  of  by  the  man  who  would  fain  cover  up 
his  wickedness,  the  magnificent  scenes  of  that  Day,  and 
all  its  solemn  splendor,  impressive  and  affecting  as 
they  will  be,  will  be  lost  sight  of  in  the  more  impressive 
and  affecting  developments  of  the  character  and  con- 
duct of  men.  God  will  do  justice  to  the  secret  trans- 
gressor then  ;  and  the  secret  transgressor  will  be  forced 
to  do  justice  to  himself.  His  history  shall  no  longer  be 
secret ;  nor  shall  he  ever  again  ask  the  question,  "  Will 
it  ever  be  known  V  The  truth  will  then  never  be  for- 
gotten, and  the  sentence  will  eternally  vibrate  on  his 
ear,  "  Be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out !'' 


SERMON  VII. 

THE  GREAT  ALTERNATIVE. 

Mark  xvi.  16.    He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved ;  but 
he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned. 

The  offer  of  the  Gospel  is  not  a  mere  offer,  which 
men  may  receive  or  reject  at  their  pleasure.  It  is  an 
authoritatim  offer,  and  one  which  they  are  commanded 
to  receive,  and  cannot  reject  with  impunity.  Rebel- 
lious man  is  invited  to  return  to  his  allegiance  to  the 
God  of  Heaven ;  and  if  he  does  so,  he  has  the  promise 
of  pardon  and  life.  But  if  he  refuses  to  do  so,  it  is  at 
his  peril.  It  is  a  princely  offer,  which  may  not  be 
trifled  with.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  after  he  had  been  "  de- 
livered for  our  offences,  and  raised  for  our  justification," 
came  to  his  disciples,  and  said,  *'  All  power  in  heaven 
and  in  earth  is  given  unto  me.  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved ;  but  he 
that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned." 

These  are  gracious  words,  yet  are  they  fearful  words. 
A  great  and  solemn  alternative  is  this — ^life  or  death, 
heaven  or  hell !  Let  us  dwell  upon  both  the  parts  of 
it ;  for  we  have  an  interest  in  it  momentous  as  eternity. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  he  that  believeth  shall  be  saved. 

Mark  the  precision  of  the  language.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  definite  and  comprehensive  sentences  in  the  Bible. 


THE  GREAT  ALTERNATIVE.  77 

It  instructs  us  who  of  all  the  fallen  race  of  man  will  be 
saved.  And  who  are  they  ?  A  vile  and  blood-shed- 
ding king,  like  Manasseh,  might  say,  /  can  never  hope 
to  he  saved;  for  I  have  filled  the  world  with  the  bodies 
of  the  slain,  and  have  waded  to  the  throne  through 
rivers  of  blood.  A  relentless  persecutor,  like  Saul  of 
Tarsus,  might  say,  There  is  no  salvation  for  me  ;  for  I 
have  kindled  the  fires,  and  erected  the  gibbet,  for  thou- 
sands  of  the  people  of  God.  The  hardened  sailor  may 
say.  It  is  of  no  use  for  me  to  think  of  being  saved ;  for 
my  heart  is  hard  as  adamant ;  lam  aprofane  swearer, 
a  thoughtless  Sabbath-breaker,  and  have  from  my  youth 
up  heen  a  despiser  and  reviler  of  God  and  his  Christ. 
But  w^hat  saith  the  Scripture  to  all  such  men?  Its 
language  is  simple  and  strong ;  this  is  what  it  says — 
"  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved."  Not  a  few  there 
are  who  feel  that  they  are  not  good  enough  to  be  par- 
takers of  this  great  salvation ;  and  that  if  they  were 
only  better  men,  and  more  holy  and  righteous,  they 
would  stand  a  better  chance  of  finding  mercy.  But 
Jesus  Christ  says  no  such  thing.  He  declares  that  the 
man  who  believes  in  him,  no  matter  who,  nor  where, 
nor  what  he  is,  shall  be  a  saved  man.  Not  a  few  there 
are  who  w^ould  persuade  us  that  no  man  can  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God,  unless  they  belong  to  some  one 
particular  denomination  of  Christians.  But  if  this  w^ere 
so,  the  language  of  Christ  \vould  have  been  very  dif- 
ferent from  vt^hat  it  is  in  the  text.  He  would  have  told 
us  what  sect  and  w^hich  clan  we  must  belong  to.  But 
he  simply  says,  that  we  must  be  Christians,  and  believers 
in  his  blessed  Gospel. 

A  sweet  and  delightful  truth  this,  that  "  he  that  be- 
lieveth shall  be  saved."     No  man  may  take  anything 


1^8  THE   GREAT  ALTERNATIVE. 

from  it,  nor  add  to  it  anything.  There  it  stands  single 
and  alone,  the  only,  the  divine  charter  of  the  sinner's 
hopes.  It  is  like  the  peering  out  of  the  north-star  when 
the  bewildered  mariner  has  lost  his  compass  ;  it  is  like 
the  blue  sky  just  opening  over  his  head  in  the  midst  of 
a  long  storm. 

But  you  ask  me,  what  is  it  to  believe  the  Gospel  ?  The 
question  is  a  proper  one,  because  there  is  a  false  faith 
as  well  as  a  true.  False  faith  is  holding  the  truths  of 
the  Gospel  in  unrighteousness ;  it  is  the  belief  of  the 
head,  without  the  belief  of  the  heart ;  it  is  believing 
that  the  Son  of  God  came  into  the  world  to  save  sin- 
ners, without  loving  him ;  it  is  such  a  faith  as  the  devils 
have.  True  faith  is  humbly  receiving  Jesus  Christ  as 
your  teacher,  your  Lord,  and  your  Saviour;  giving 
yourself  to  him,  and  trusting  in  him  alone  for  salvation. 
Some  things  we  believe  on  the  evidence  of  our  senses ; 
some  on  the  testimony  of  our  fellow-men  ;  but  the  Gos- 
pel is  received  on  the  testimony  of  God.  If  we  re- 
ceive the  testimony  of  man,  the  testimony  of  God  is 
greater.  "  This  is  the  testimony  of  God  ;  that  he  hath 
given  us  eternal  life,  and  that  this  life  is  in  his  Son." 
There  is  salvation  in  no  other ;  he  is  mighty  to  save ; 
those  who  come  to  him  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 
These  are  great  and  precious  truths ;  faith  receives 
them,  obeys  them,  lives  upon  them.  Humbling  as  they 
are  to  his  pride  and  self-righteousness,  the  believing 
sinner  rejoices  in  them,  and  chooses  to  be  saved  in  the 
way  by  which  he  is  humbled  and  God  exalted. 

The  Saviour's  declaration  is,  "He  that  believeth 
shall  he  saved."  He  shall  be  saved.  "What  is  it  to  be 
saved  ?  The  salvation  here  spoken  of  is  indeed  a  great 
salvation — a  salvation  which  will  require  ages  to  un- 


THE   GREAT  ALTERNATIVE.  79 

fold.  Pardon,  peace,  holiness,  adoption  into  God's 
family,  and  his  divine  love,  his  fatherly  care  and  disci- 
pline ;  a  safe  and  happy  death,  and  blessed  and  glori- 
ous resurrection ;  and  an  eternal  heaven,  the  dwelling- 
place  of  everlasting  peace  and  joy,  where  every  cloud 
shall  be  withdrawn,  every  sin  eradicated,  every  fear 
subside,  and  every  hope  realized — this  is  the  salvation 
w^iich  belongs  to  him  that  belie veth.  It  is  not  of  his 
deserving,  but  of  God's  mercy ;  it  is  not  of  his  working, 
but  of  Christ's  dying.  God's  word  for  it,  "  he  that  be- 
lieveth  shall  be  saved."  Christ's  death  stands  in  the 
place  of  his  death,  and  he  shall  be  saved.  God  is 
not  "  a  man  that  he  should  lie,  nor  the  son  of  man  that 
he  should  repent."  "  Once  have  I  sworn  in  my  holi- 
ness," saith  Jehovah,  "  that  I  will  not  lie  unto  David." 

But  we  turn  from  this  delightful  truth  to  contemplate 
the  other  part  of  this  solemn  alternative. 

II.  In  the  second  place,  our  text  declares,  He  that 
helieveth  not  shall  he  damned. 

"  Knowing  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  we  persuade  men." 
There  are  fearful  terrors  revealed  in  the  Bible,  and  we 
must  preach  them.  The  one  are  as  important  to  be 
made  known  as  the  other.  Neither  the  promises,  nor 
the  threatenings  of  the  Gospel,  have  any  appropriate 
force  and  import,  unless  both  are  true.  We  dare  not 
neglect  to  preach  them  both  as  we  shall  answer  it  at 
the  bar  of  God. 

The  Saviour  declares  of  every  one  who  does  not  be- 
lieve the  Gospel,  that  he  shall  be  damned.  He  does  not 
use  any  softer  language  than  this  ;  he  says  he  shall  be 
damned.  To  the  kinoj  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  crim- 
inal  in  the  prison-house ;  to  the  minister  in  the  pulpit, 
and  to  the  poorest  and  meanest  of  his  hearers ;  to  the 


80  THE   GREAT  ALTERNATIVE. 

titled  and  the  untitled,  to  the  honored  and  the  dishon- 
ored, to  the  moral  and  the  immoral,  to  the  sanctimo- 
nious professor  of  godliness  and  to  the  gay  worldling, 
to  seamen  and  to  landsmen,  he  says,  "  He  that  believ- 
eth  not  shall  be  damned!" 

How  many  individuals,  and  what  large  classes  of 
men  does  this  comprehensive  declaration  involve  !  How 
many  who  expected  to  be  saved  because  they  were  the 
children  of  pious  parents,  will  at  last  perish  because 
they  did  not  believe  the  Gospel !  How  many  who  ex- 
pected to  be  saved  because  they  were  better  than  other 
men,  will  perish  because  they  did  not  believe  the  Gospel ! 
How  many  who  thought  that  God  was  too  good  to 
damn  them,  will  be  damned  after  all,  because  they  did 
not  believe!  How  many  who  expected  to  be  saved 
because  Christ  died  for  their  salvation,  will  neverthe- 
less be  damned,  because  they  would  not  come  to  him 
that  they  might  have  life  !  How  many  who  have  been 
baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  how  many  who  have  been  the  par- 
takers of  that  broken  bread  and  that  cup  of  blessing 
which  show  forth  his  death,  will  be  damned  because 
they  did  not  believe  in  that  Saviour  whom  this  out- 
ward observance  honors ! 

Unbelief  is  the  opposite  of  belief.  If  believing  the 
Gospel  is  heartily  receiving  and  obeying  it,  then  not  be- 
lieving is  heartily  rejecting  and  disobeying  it.  "  Did 
ye  never  read  in  the  Scriptures,  the  stone  which  the 
builders  rejected,  the  same  is  become  the  head  of  the 
the  corner  ?"  Unbelief  is  not  a  mere  negative  act  of 
the  mind ;  it  is  a  positive  act.  It  is  not  simply  the  not 
doing  that  which  God  commands  ;  but  the  doing  of 
that  which  he  forbids.     Those  who  do  not  believe  the 


THE  GREAT  ALTERNATIVE.  gj 

Gospel  reject  and  oppose  all  the  truth,  and  grace,  and 
heaven  which  that  Gospel  reveals.  They  are  the  per- 
sonal enemies  of  God  and  his  Christ.  They  are  dis- 
pleased with  the  method  of  redemption ;  they  do  not 
like  the  terms  of  it,  and  will  not  accept  it  on  any  terms. 
They  had  rather  "  have  their  sins,  and  go  to  hell ;  than 
leave  their  sins,  and  go  to  heaven." 

Now  Jesus  Christ  says  of  all  such  persons,  that  they 
shall  be  damned.  God  is  angry  with  such  persons,  and 
he  will  show  the  greatness  and  power  of  his  anger  by 
damning  them.  This  is  just  what  their  incorrigible  un- 
belief de&erves.  When  men  have  made  up  their  minds 
finally  and  irrevocably  to  reject  the  salvation  God  offers 
them,  they  have  fitted  themselves  for  just  such  a  doom. 
They  are  "vessels  of  wrath  fitted  for  destruction." 
Their  enmity  to  God  and  their  rejection  of  his  Son  fits 
them  for  nothing  else.  There  is  everything  to  require 
the  execution  of  this  fearful  curse,  and  there  is  nothing 
in  the  universe  to  prevent  it.  God  requires  it ;  his  law 
requires  it ;  his  Gospel  requires  it ;  heaven,  earth,  and 
hell  require  it.  And  as  there  is  nothing  to  forbid  it,  so 
there  is  nothing  to  prevent  it.  Justice  will  not,  good- 
ness will  not,  mercy  will  not — it  cannot,  for  its  tender- 
est  entreaties  are  despised.  "How  can  they  escape, 
who  neglect  so  great  salvation  ?"  There  is  no  escape 
— there  is  no  hope — no,  never !  "  He  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned  /" 

And  what  is  it  to  be  damned  ?  I  tremble  while  I  ask 
this  question.  God  grant  that  none  of  us  may  ever 
know  what  it  is!  That  banishment  from  God  and 
heaven — that  everlasting  destruction — that  dreadful, 
eternal  hell — may  we  never  know  what  it  is!     The 

Bible  kindly  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  it,  but  no  words  can 

4* 


82  THE   GREAT  ALTERNATIVE. 

fully  reveal  what  it  is.  There  is  the  utter  darkness ; 
there  is  the  lake  of  fire  ;  there  is  the  furnace  of  Al- 
mighty wrath  ;  there  are  weeping,  wailing,  and  gnash- 
ing of  teeth ;  there  the  worm  does  not  die,  and  the  fire 
is  never  quenched.  Who  among  us  can  dwell  with 
devouring  fire  ?  who  among  us  can  inhabit  everlasting 
burnings  ? 

Unutterable  truth,  he  that  "  believeth  shall  be  saved, 
and  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned !"  Both 
parts  of  this  great  alternative  are  equally  true.  The 
Bible  furnishes  the  same  evidence  that  unbelievers  will 
be  damned,  as  that  believers  will  be  saved.  The  pro- 
mise and  the  threatening,  in  the  text,  were  uttered  by 
the  same  lips,  and  will  both  be  fulfilled  by  the  same 
Almighty  power.  Believers,  when  they  die,  go  to 
heaven ;  unbelievers,  when  they  die,  go  to  hell.  In 
heaven  there  is  "  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  a 
building  of  God,"  a  holy  and  immortal  Paradise.  And 
there  is  a  hell,  deep  and  large,  a  world  of  everlasting 
gloom  and  terrors,  where  suffering  is  but  the  earnest  of 
suffering,  sighing  the  prelude  to  sighing  that  shall  never 
end. 

One  of  these  worlds,  beloved  friends,  will  be  yom 
everlasting  dwelling-place.  There  is  no  middle  state, 
because  there  is  no  middle  character  between  believing 
and  rejecting  the  Gospel.  There  is  no  neutrality  in  the 
business  of  religion.  You  must  be  either  the  friend  of 
God,  or  his  enemy  ;  you  must  either  believe  the  Gospel, 
and  be  saved,  or  refuse  to  believe  it,  and  be  lost.  No 
matter  what  else  you  do,  if  you  do  not  believe  the 
Gospel,  you  must  perish.  You  may  not  be  so  bad  as 
thousands  of  others ;  but  if  you  reject  this  salvation, 
this  is  Enough  to  condemn  you.     There  is  a  great  dif- 


THE   GREAT  ALTERNATIVE.  33 

ference  between  those  who  receive  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  love  of  it,  and  those  who  reject  it.  It 
will  be  an  everlasting  difference;  nothing  but  heaven 
and  hell  will  ever  show  how  great  the  difference  is. 

In  view  of  these  things,  and  in  the  name  of  the  as- 
cended Saviour,  we  make  you  the  offer  of  this  salvation. 
We  call  to  you  to  accept  it  for  yourselves.  It  is  yours 
now  only  in  offer ;  it  will  become  actually  yours  in  pos- 
session, when  you  have  laid  hold  upon  it  by  faith. 
You  may  have  it  for  the  taking.  One  and  all  of  yoUj 
shall  have  it  for  the  taking ;  and  it  is  because  you  do 
not  choose  to  take  it,  if  it  do  not  indeed  belong  to  you. 
You  are  welcome  to  it,  much  and  long  as  you  may  have 
trodden  it  under  your  feet.  All  its  treasures  are  open 
to  5^ou ;  and  you  may  come  even  now  and  receive  its 
pardon  and  its  holiness,  and  share  in  all  the  spoils  that 
have  been  won  by  the  Captain  of  this  salvation. 

Away  then  with  this  indifference,  this  doubt,  this 
delay,  these  excuses  ;  and  come,  take  the  water  of  life 
freely.  It  is  but  one  point  you  are  called  on  to  decide, 
and  that  is  to  take  or  refuse — to  believe  and  he  saved,  or 
to  disbelieve  and  he  damned !  This  is  the  issue  ;  it  is 
not  of  our  forming,  but  God's ;  it  is  to  the  decision  of 
this  single  question  that  you  are  shut  up,  and  on  that 
decision  hangs  your  eternity. 

What  shall  your  decision  be  ?  Believe  and  be  saved, 
or  disbelieve  and  be  damned — which  will  you  choose  ? 
Will  you  be  so  foolish,  and  prove  yourself  so  wicked, 
so  desperately  wicked,  as  to  reject  these  offers  of 
mercy?  Can  you  abide  the  consequences  of  such  a 
decision  ?  Have  you  made  up  your  mind  to  them,  and 
for  them  ?  Is  your  love  of  sinning  so  strong,  that  there 
is  a  voice  within  you  that  says,  "  I  have  loved  idols, 


84  THE  GREAT  ALTERNATIVE. 

and  after  idols  I  will  go,"  be  the  consequences  what 
they  may  ?  Come  death,  come  hell,  come  what  may, 
one  thing  I  will  never  do,  and  that  is,  give  up  my  sins 
and  return  to  God  through  Jesus  Christ. 

Ah,  my  bold  hearer,  is  it  this  that  you  have  come  to  ? 
Will  you  contend  with  God  ?  Can  thine  heart  endure, 
and  can  thine  hands  be  strong,  in  the  day  when  he  shall 
deal  with  thee  ?  Foolish  men,  when  will  ye  be  wise ! 
There  is  a  better  destiny  for  you  than  this  hopeless,  this 
ruiAous  conflict,  with  your  Maker.  Come,  sinner,  to 
him  who  came  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost. 
He  will  not  cast  you  out,  bold,  and  desperate,  and  hope- 
less a  sinner  as  you  may  have  been.  He  will  pity,  he 
will  pardon,  he  will  save.  He  will  care  for  you  when 
the  mountains  shake,  and  the  waters  roar  and  are  trou- 
bled. When  earth  and  sea,  in  mingled  burning,  are 
consumed  over  yqur  head,  he  will  think  of  you,  and 
raise  you  up  at  the  Last  Day. 


SERMON  VIII. 

FEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD. 

Psalm  Ixvi,  3.    At  what  time  I  am  afraid,  I  will  trust  in  thee. 

Fear  is  that  dread  and  horror  of  mind  which  arises 
from  the  apprehension  of  danger.  It  is  often  attended 
with  anxiety  and  soKcitude ;  and  sometimes  with  a  de- 
jection and  melancholy  which  unfit  men  for  those  du- 
ties which  seasons  of  danger  demand. 

A  man  may  not  be  chargeable  with  superstition, 
merely  because  he  has  many  painful  remembrances  of 
the  past,  or  some  melancholy  forebodings  of  the  future. 
They  are  not  phantoms  of  horror,  which  make  a  wise 
man  anxious  for  his  personal  safety.  Idle  fears  out- 
weigh the  sober  judgment,  tyrannize  over  the  imagina- 
tion, and  beset  the  path  of  life  with  evils  which  do  not 
exist.  They  are  real  evils,  which  are  to  be  feared ; 
and  one  of  the  great  preservatives  from  them,  is  to  be 
afraid  of  them.  Yet  such  fears  are  ever  among  the 
great  disturbers  of  human  tranquillity ;  and  though 
there  is  no  perfect  security  from  them,  it  is  a  question 
of  interest,  if  they  may  not  be  alleviated  and  relieved. 

In  answer  to  this  question,  we  have  the  experience 
of  one  who  had  been-  familiar  with  the  dangers  of  the 
camp,  and  the  field  of  battle,  and  the  still  more  formi- 
dable dangers  of  the  throne.  He  was  a  man  of  sober 
reflection  and  great  firmness ;  too  active  and  resolute, 


86      PEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD. 

ever  to  be  panic-struck,  or  impressed  with  false  ter- 
rors ;  yet  too  wide  awake  to  the  dangers  to  which  he 
was  exposed,  not  to  have  sought  a  timely  and  effective 
relief  even  from  fear.  He  was,  moreover,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  and  the  truth  he  utters 
in  the  text  is  therefore  one  of  those  universal  truths, 
which  are  alike  adapted  to  all  men,  in  all  employments, 
and  in  all  ages  of  the  world.  The  answer  he  gives  to 
this  question  is,  ''  At  what  time  I  am  afraid,  I  will  trust 
in  thee."  His  fears  were  alleviated  by  his  trust  in  God. 
Peace  instead  of  perturbation,  safety  instead  of  danger, 
strength,  confidence,  and  courage,  instead  of  weakness, 
suspicion,  and  fear,  were,  with  this  holy  man,  the  result 
of  trusting  in  God. 

I.  Let  us  direct  our  thoughts,  in  the  first  place,  to 
the  constituent  elements  of  this  state  of  mind,  and  show 
what  it  is  to  trust  in  God. 

There  are  natural  elements  of  character  which  ren- 
der men  fearless.  There  are  also  employments  and 
habits  of  life  in  which  some  persons  are  so  accustomed 
to  danger,  that  they  scarcely  know  the  strong  emotions 
of  fear.  High  stimulus  and  strong  internal  excitement 
often  make  men  courageous.  Anger,  and  revenge^ 
and  the  absorbing  love  of  gold,  not  unfrequently  so  en- 
gross the  mind,  that  it  is  heedless  of  danger,  and  rushes 
upon  it  as  the  horse  rusheth  into  the  battle,  or  the  reck- 
less soldier  faces  the  mouth  of  the  cannon.  A  keen 
sensitiveness  to  reproach,  or  a  chivalric  pride,  or  a 
morbid  and  false  sense  of  honor,  lead  some  to  court 
scenes  o\  i  anger,  and  with  a  fool-hardy  bravado,  expose 
and  throw  away  human  life ;  when  true  courage  would 
have  been  fearless  of  the  obloquy,  and  a  stainless  honor 


FEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD.      97 

would  have  shielded  the  sacred  deposits  which  it  had 
no  right  to  throw  away,  or  expose. 

But  this  is  a  fearlessness  which  has  no  alliance  with 
the  tranquil  state  of  mind  spoken  of  in  our  text.  There 
are  moral  elements  in  this  state  of  mind,  which  distin- 
guish it  from  natural  fortitude,  and  from  mere  animal, 
or  even  intellectual  courage,  and  which  give  it  steadi- 
ness and  vigor,  as  well  as  patience  and  perseverance, 
which  are  found  only  in  the  man  who  trusts  in  God. 

Nowhere  is  there  the  broad  basis  for  confidence — 
intelligent  and  enduring  confidence — tranquil  and  joy- 
ful confidence,  save  in  the  character,  care,  wisdom, 
goodness,  and  power  of  that  great  and  gracious  Being, 
who  is  "  God  over  all,  blessed  forever."  God  must  be 
known,  his  favor  must  be  secured,  his  presence  felt  and 
enjoyed ;  else  the  changes  we  pass  through,  the  trials 
we  feel,  and  the  evils  which  threaten  us,  will  disturb 
our  quietude.  "  The  Lord  liveth,  and  blessed  be  my 
Rock,  and  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted," — this 
is  the  true  expression  of  a  trusting  confidence.  "  God 
is  our  refuge  and  strength,  a  very  present  help  in  trou- 
ble,"— this  is  the  confidence  which  gives  peace.  "  Whom 
have  I  in  heaven  but  thee,  and  what  is  there  on  the  earth 
that  I  desire  beside  thee  ?" — this  is  the  trust  in  which 
the  soul  rises  above  every  fear.  Instead  of  being  the 
enemy  of  God,  such  a  man  is  his  friend ;  instead  of 
fleeing /rom  God,  such  a  man  flees  to  him,  and  trusts 
in  him.  There  is  a  confidence  in  the  will,  and  way, 
and  wisdom  of  God,  which  leads  us  to  prefer  his  will  to 
our  own,  to  commit  our  way  to  him,  and  to  seek  and 
learn  wisdom  by  sitting  at  his  feet.  And  it  is  just  in 
the  measure  in  which  these  things  are  seen  and  felt, 


88  FEAR  RELIEVED   BY  TRUST  IN  GOD. 

that  we  see  and  feel  that  there  is  no  just  and  solid 
ground  for  confidence  anyv/here  except  in  God. 

There  is  one  thing  that  never  fails  to  weaken  trust 
in  God  :  I  mean  disobedience  to  his  commands.  A 
guilty  conscience  and  a  tranquil  state  of  mind  cannot 
exist  together  in  the  same  bosom.  Disobedience  al- 
ways opens  the  door  to  doubt  and  fear.  It  brings  the 
soul  into  bondage  and  terror.  It  always  did,  and  al- 
ways will  weaken  confidence  in  God.  It  did  in  the 
fallen  angels ;  it  made  them  fear  and  tremble.  So, 
when  our  first  parents  committed  their  first  sin,  their 
own  minds  were  filled  with  suspicion  and  distrust. 
They  ran  away  from  God  and  "  hid  themselves  among 
the  trees  of  the  garden."  And  we  all  know  from  our 
own  experience,  that  the  more  we  sin  against  God,  the 
more  we  are  plunged  into  the  same  wakeful  jealousy. 
Guilt  is  never  confiding,  and  always  suspicious.  It 
poisons  all  the  sources  of  confidence.  "  Who  is  he 
that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  he  follower's  of  that  which  is 
good  V  It  is  only  then,  that  men  trust  in  God  to  keep 
them.  "  The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  strong  tower,  into 
which  the  righteous  runneth  and  is  safe." 

Yet  all  these  things  are  but  preliminaries  to  the  act 
itself  of  trusting  in  God.  That  act  consists  in  the  exer- 
ercise  of  faith  in  God's  goodness,  and  power  to  protect 
you.  A  trusting  heart  is  the  very  opposite  of  a  distrust- 
ful and  unbelieving  heart-.  It  never  gives  way  to  an 
overweening  anxiety  and  solicitude.  It  does  not  yield 
to  dejection.  Whenever  it  is  exercised,  the  soul  is  sup- 
ported and  comforted  by  a  view  of  the  fulness,  all-suf- 
ficiency, and  presence  of  God.  It  trusts  the  providence 
of  God ;  it  trusts  his  word  ;  it  trusts  in  the  grace  in  Jesus 
Christ.     It  fears  nothing ;  it  sees  nothing  to  be  afraid 


PEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD.      qq 

of,  because  God  is  its  "  refuge,  and  underneath  are  the 
everlasting  arms."  "  Fear  not  them,"  says  the  Saviour, 
"  that  can  kill  the  body,  and  after  that  have  no  more 
that  they  can  do ;  but  fear  him,  v^ho,  after  he  hath 
killed,  hath  power  to  cast  into  hell.".  The  fear  of  God 
casts  out  every  other  fear.  "  He  that  keepeth  Israel, 
shall  neither  slumber  nor  sleep  ;  the  Lord  is  thy  keeper, 
the  Lord  is  thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand."  "  I  will 
both  lay  me  down  in  peace  and  sleep  ;  for  thou  Lord 
makest  me  to  dwell  in  safety." 

There  are  "  exceeding  great  and  precious  prom- 
ises" to  those  who  thus  trust  in  God.  "  Many  sorrows 
shall  be  to  the  wicked ;  but  he  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord^ 
mercy  shall  compass  him  about."  "  The  Lord  redeem- 
eth  the  soul  of  his  servants,  and  none  of  them  that  trust 
in  him  shall  be  desolate."  Blessed  is  the  man  that 
maketh  the  Lord  his  trust ;  surely  he  shall  not  be 
moved  forever.  He  shall  not  be  afraid  of  evil  tidings, 
his  heart  is  fixed  trusting  in  the  Lord."  They  that 
"  trust  in  the  Lord  shall  be  as  Mount  Zion  which  can- 
not be  removed,  but  abideth  forever."  "  Thou  wilt 
keep  him  in  perfect  peace  whose  mind  is  stayed  on 
thee,  because  he  trusteth  in  thee." 

Precious  indeed  are  such  declarations.  "Oh  how 
great  is  thy  goodness  which  thou  hast  laid  up  for  them 
that  fear  thee  :  which  thou  hast  wrought  for  them  that 
trust  in  thee  before  the  sons  of  men  !"  Thou  shalt 
"  keep  them  in  the  secret  of  thy  presence  from  the 
pride  of  man ;  thou  shalt  keep  them  secretly  in  a  pa- 
vilion from  the  strife  of  tongues."  It  is  a  privilege  the 
world  cannot  give,  thus  to  hide  ourselves  within  these 
chambers  of  his  protecting  power  and  love.  From  his 
own  high  and  holy  habitation  he  says  to  us,  "  Come, 


90      FEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD. 

my  people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers  ;  and  shut 
thy  doors  about  thee  ;  hide  thyself  as  it  were  for  a  Ut- 
tle  moment,  until  the  indignation  be  overpast." 

With  this  brief  view  of  what  it  is  to  trust  in  God, 
we  proceed, 

II.  To  show,  in  the  second  place,  when  we  should 
trust  in  God,  and  on  what  occasions  our  confidence  in 
him  is  specially  called  for. 

Our  confidence  should  be  just  as  extensive  as  our 
fears,  or  our  occasions  for  fear.  "  At  what  time  /  am 
afraid,  I  will  trust  in  thee  !" 

There  are  two  general  sources  of  fear  with  all  men ; 
they  are  afraid  on  account  of  others,  and  they  are 
afraid  on  their  own  account.  And  at  what  time  they 
are  afraid,  either  for  themselves,  or  others,  they  may 
trust  in  God. 

1.  They  may  trust  in  God  at  those  seasons  when  they 
are  afraid  on  account  of  others.  We  are  more  apt  to  be 
afraid  for  others,  than  we  are  for  ourselves.  The  pa- 
rent is  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  child ;  the  husband 
is  alarmed  for  the  safety  of  his  wife,  or  the  wife  for  her 
far  distant  husband  ;  and  at  what  time  they  are  afraid, 
they  ought  to  trust  in  God.  The  Christian  statesman 
trembles  for  his  country  ;  and  after  he  has  done  all  he 
can  for  her  security,  should  implore  for  her  the  protec- 
tion of  the  God  of  nations,  and  quietly  leave  her  in  his 
hands.  Every  good  man  sees  causes  of  apprehension 
in  the  condition  of  vital  piety,  and  often  trembles  for 
the  ark  of  God.  But  he  ought  to  have  confidence  in 
God  that  he  will  take  care  of  his  Church.  "  God  is  in 
the  midst  of  her,  she  shall  not  be  moved ;  God  shall 
help  her,  and  that  right  early."  "  No  weapon  that  is 
formed  against  her  shall  prosper.     Dominion  is  with 


PEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD.     gi 

him;  and  though  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  people 
imagine  a  vain  thing,"  his  *'  counsel  shall  stand,  and  he 
will  do  all  his  pleasure."  Do  we  fear  for  this  apostate 
and  dying  world,  with  all  its  guilt  and  woe  ;  we  may- 
trust  in  God  that  he  will  fill  it  with  his  glory.  Do  we 
fear  for  the  spiritual  interests  of  those  we  most  love  ; 
do  we  see  them  dead  in  sin,  and  after  all  that  we  have 
done,  and  all  that  has  been  by  others  to  turn  them  from 
the  error  of  their  ways,  does  our  courage  wither  and 
our  hearts  sink  and  die  within  us ;  we  may  hope  in 
God  for  them  still.  As  the  clay  is  in  the  potter's  hands 
so  are  they  in  his  hands ;  nor  is  the  most  hopeless  of 
them  all  beyond  the  reach  of  his  sovereign  and  abound- 
ing grace.  We  naturally  fear  for  persons  and  interests 
that  are  dear  to  us ;  sometimes  they  are  great  interests, 
and  we  feel  deep  solicitude  for  them  ;  but  our  solici- 
tude and  fears  may  always  be  relieved  by  committing 
them  to  God's  care,  and  trusting  them  with  him.  It 
would  be  a  hopeless  resort,  if  we  had  none  but  created 
helpers  to  go  to  for  them  ;  if  we  must  ''  put  our  trust 
in  princes,  and  in  the  son  of  man  in  whom  there  is  no 
help ;"  but  if  God  is  a  refuge  for  us,  and  we  can,  and 
do  trust  in  him,  we  may  bid  our  solicitude  be  gone,  and 
give  our  fears  to  the  winds. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  at  those  seasons  when  om- 
fears  are  excited  on  our  own  account,  we  may  also  trust 
in  God.  Every  Christian  man  has  direct  and  confiden- 
tial transactions  with  the  God  of  Heaven,  in  relation 
to  everything  which -concerns  his  well-being  for  the  life 
that  now  is,  and  that  which  is  to  come.  All  that  he  is, 
and  all  that  he  has  for  both  worlds  is  committed  to  his 
hands,  to  whom  he  daily  looks  up  and  says,  "  My  Fa- 
ther, who  art  in  heaven !"     This  is  the  sheet-anchor  of 


92  FEAR  RELIEVED   BY  TRUST  IN   GOD. 

his  hopes  ;  he  has  no  need  to  fear  for  body,  or  for  soul, 
nor  does  he  fear,  so  long  as  he  trusts  in  God. 

Of  all  the  causes  of  fear  to  which  man  is  subjected, 
those  are  the  most  serious  which  relate  to  his  spiritual 
well-being.  It  is  no  marvel,  that  a  man  who  is  by- 
nature  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,"  should  have  a 
painful  sense  of  his  lost  condition.  He  sees  that  he  is 
justly  condemned  by  the  law  of  God,  and  that  the 
punishment  to  which  he  is  exposed  is  everlasting  destruc- 
tion of  body  and  soul  in  hell.  He  knows  not  that  he 
shall  live  another  day,  or  another  hour.  And  he  trembles 
at  the  thought  of  enduring  the  wrath  of  God  in  that 
world  where  the  "  worm  dieth  not,  and  the  fire  is  not 
quenched."  He  does  not  know  but  his  present  con- 
victions of  sin  and  danger  may  all  forsake  him,  and  that 
the  Spirit  of  God,  which  does  not  always  strive  with 
man,  may  abandon  him  to  more  than  his  former  ob- 
duracy. He  sees  that  he  can  do  nothing  to  recom- 
mend himself  to  God,  and  that  he  has  no  excuse  for  not 
repenting  and  believing  the  Gospel.  He  may  be  listen- 
ing to  the  last  calls  of  the  divine  mercy,  and  like  hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  others,  tremble  lest,"  after  all,  he 
should  be  a  castaway."  Now  these  affecting  apprehen- 
sions are  always  relieved  when  such  persons  are  brought 
to  trust  in  God,  and  commit  themselves  to  him,  on  the 
infinite  merits  of  the  great  redemption.  When  the 
weary  and  heavy-laden  sinner  goes  for  rest  to  Jesus 
Christ,  he  is  no  longer  like  the  troubled  sea,  but  finds 
rest  to  his  soul. 

There  are  seasons,  too,  when  after  he  has  made  his 
peace  with  God,  he  has  great  fears  on  account  of  his 
remaining  sins.  He  feels  the  bondage  of  sin  still ;  "  the 
flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the 


TEAR  RELIEVED  BY  TRUST  IN  GOD.      93 

flesh ;"  he  is  assailed  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  and  is 
called  to  encounter  the  solicitations  and  the  frowns  of 
a  world  that  lieth  in  wickedness.  And  his  only  refuge 
is  to  trust  in  God.  He  himself  is  a  poor  unworthy 
sinner — poor,  blind,  miserable  sinner.  He  must  go  out 
of  himself  to  One  whose  "grace  is  sufficient  for  him." 
He  has  a  heart  ''deceitful  above  all  things,  and  des- 
perately  wicked;"  and  when  he  trusts  in  God  who 
knows  his  wants,  who  requires  him  to  trust  in  him,  who 
has  all  power  and  grace,  who  has  ever  been  gracious 
to  those  who  have  trusted  in  him,  and  who  has  prom- 
ised to  be  so  still — his  discouragement  ceases,  his  fears 
subside.  Though  he  is  perfect  weakness,  if  he  has  Om- 
nipotence to  rest  upon,  his  resources  are  infinite. 

There  are  seasons  too,  when,  as  he  goes  on  his  way, 
he  cannot  always  rejoice  as  he  goes.  He  mourns  the 
hidings  of  God's  face,  and  he  fears  that  he  has  a  "  name 
that  he  liveth  and  is  dead."  The  spirit  of  adoption  is 
not  always  given  to  him,  and  he  cannot  say  with  bold- 
ness, "Abba,  Father!"  Yet  does  that  spirit  always 
return,  and  his  consolations  are  made  to  abound  by 
Jesus  Christ,  when  he  can  cast  himself  upon  Omnipo- 
tent love  and  mercy,  and  say,  "  Though  he  slay  me, 
yet  W\\\  I  trust  in  him !" 

There  are  temporal  evils,  too,  the  apprehension  of 
which  is  relieved  only  by  trust  in  God.  Trials  may  be 
appointed  to  us ;  poverty  may  stare  us  in  the  face ; 
enemies  may  beset  our  path,  and  we  may  tremble  at 
their  resentment  and  rage.  The  rod  of  God  may  be 
upon  our  habitations,  and  he  may  "  bend  his  bow,  and 
set  us  as  a  mark  for  the  arrow."  Difficulties  and  dan- 
gers may  lie  across  the  path  of  duty,  and  we  may  be 
called  to  sacrifices  and  toil,  from  which  we  reluctate. 


94  FEAR  RELIEVED   BY  TRUST  IN   GOD. 

Yet  is  trust  in  God  a  sovereign  remedy  for  all  these 
evils.  We  are  safe  when  they  are  close  upon  us ;  and 
even  when  they  are  only  apprehended,  and  they  exist 
only  in  our  own  alarmed  minds,  we  are  "  quiet  from  the 
fear  of  evil."  He  that  "  dwelleth  in  the  secret  place 
of  the  Most  High,  shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Almighty.  I  will  say  of  the  Lord,  he  is  my  refuge  and 
my  Rock;  my  God,  in  him  will  I  trust.  Surely  he 
shall  deliver  thee  from  the  snare  of  the  fowler,  and  from 
the  noisome  pestilence.  He  shall  cover  thee  with  his 
feathers,  and  under  his  wings  shalt  thou  trust.  Thou 
shalt  not  be  afraid  for  the  terror  by  night,  nor  for  the 
pestilence  that  w*lketh  in  darkness,  nor  for  the  destruc- 
tion that  wasteth  at  noonday." 

Not  a  few  are  "  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage, 
through  the  fear  of  death."  It  is,  indeed,  a  solemn 
thing  to  die.  None  of  us  can  tell  how  fearful  the 
struggle  is  with  this  "  last  enemy."  Go  to  that  chamber 
of  mourning.  See  that  pallid,  lifeless  form,  once  glow- 
ing with  animation  and  beauty,  but  now  motionless, 
cold  as  marble,  and  already  beginning  to  be  a  loath- 
some, putrescent  carcass.  This  is  death.  Descend 
into  yonder  cemetery  ;  walk  around  it,  and  listen  while 
these  once-living  men  seem  to  *'  say  to  corruption,  thou 
art  my  father,  and  to  the  worm,  thou  art  my  mother 
and  my  sister."  This  is  death.  Yet  men  are  exposed 
to  it  every  day,  every  hour,  every  moment.  Our  lives 
are  forfeited  to  justice  ;  and  no  living  man  can  tell  how 
soon  the  penalty,  in  his  own  case,  may  be  executed.  A 
very  little  matter,  the  slightest  circumstance  in  the 
world,  may  call  us  from  time  to  eternity.  A  loosened 
bolt  or  nail,  a  breaking  rope,  a  mistaken  and  heedless 
step,  a  single  wave,  and  no  human  power  or  skill  can 


FEAR  'RELIEVED    BY   TRUST   IN    GOD.  95 

save  us.  Our  companions  and  friends,  alas !  how  many 
of  them  have  passed  from  tlie  land  of  the  living,  and 
sunk  into  the  bosom  of  the  treacherous  deep  I  Many 
a  stately  merchantman,  and  still  more  gallant  warrior 
of  the  seas,  have  gone  down  in'^  moment,  and  carried 
with  them  brave  and  noble  hearts,  over  whom  the  old 
ocean  rolls,  and  whose  funeral  dirge  is  sung  only  by  the 
moaning,  howling  winds.  We  cannot  always  antici- 
pate the  dying  strife,  the  desperate  struggle,  with  com- 
posure. Courage,  sailors  !  "  At  what  time  I  am  afraid, 
I  will  trust  in  thee !"  It  is  a  fierce  foe  you  have  to 
grapple  with ;  but  to  those  who  trust  in  God,  he  is  a 
vanquished  foe — vanquished  on  the  cross.  We  look 
not  on  death  alone,  but  on  him  who  "  has  abolished 
death,  and  brought  life  and  immortality  to  light."  Sin 
"  hath  reigned  unto  death ;  but  grace  reigns  unto 
eternal  life,  by  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord."  Those  who 
trust  in  God  die  but  once.  Death  is  their  "  last  enemy." 
Pain  invades  their  couch  no  more.  Griefs  and  fears  no 
more  oppress  them. 

*'  Their  languishing  head  is  at  rest, 
Its  thinking  and  aching  are  o'er ; 
That  quiet,  immovable  breast 
Is  heaved  by  affliction  no  more." 

Shame  on  the  seaman  who  has  no  confidence  in 
God !  He  may  not  give  dying  grace  for  a  living  hour ; 
yet  as  ''  thy  day  is,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  Trust 
him.  And  then  when  you  come  to  the  dark  valley,  it 
shall  be  illumined  by  the  light  of  his  countenance. 

What  losers  are  they  who  cast  away  their  confi- 
dence in  God  !  Whence  is  it  that  you  cannot  feel  safe 
in  the  hands  of  God  ?     O  lift  up  your  eyes  beyond  the 


96  FEAR  RELIEVED   BY  TRUST  IN   GOD. 

everlasting  hills  and  the  foaming  ocean,  whence  cometh 
your  help.  Fear  God,  and  love  his  Son.  Then  you 
vi^ill  be  safe  and  happy.  That  brooding  anxiety  will 
pass  away.  It  is  no  mystery  that  you  sometimes  find 
yourselves  friendless  and  forlorn,  if  you  have  no  trust 
in  God. 

"  How  are  thy  servants  blessed,  O  Lord, 
How  sure  is  their  defence ! 
Eternal  wisdom  is  their  guide, 
Their  help  Omnipotence. 

"  In  foreign  realms,  and  lands  remote, 
Supported  by  thy  care, 
Through  burning  climes  they  pass  unhurt, 
And  breathe  in  tainted  air. 

*•  When  by  the  dreadful  tempest  borne, 
High  on  the  broken  wave, 
They  know  thou  art  not  slow  to  hear, 
Nor  impotent  to  save. 

"  In  'midst  of  danger,  fear,  and  death, 
Thy  goodness  we  '11  adore ; 
We  '11  praise  thee  for  thy  mercies  past, 
And  humbly  hope  for  more. 

"  Our  life,  while  thou  preserv'st  that  life, 
Thy  sacrifice  shall  be ; 
And  death,  when  death  shall  be  our  lot, 
Shall  give  our  souls  to  thee." 


SEEMON  IX 

THE   TERMS  OF   DISCIPLESHIP. 

Matthew  xvi.  24.  Then  said  Jesus  unto  his  disciples,  If  any  man 
will  come  after  me,  let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and 
follow  me. 

Many  a  man  thinks  he  is  a  Christian,  who  is  not  so ; 
it  is,  therefore,  important  to  understand  what  it  is  to 
be  a  Christian.  Many  a  man  persuades  himself  that 
he  is  willing  to  become  a  Christian,  and  would  at  once 
become  one  if  he  only  knew  how.  Now  the  declara- 
tion of  Christ  in  the  text  exactly  meets  this  state  of 
mind.  It  is  a  most  beautiful  passage,  and  so  full  of  in- 
struction, that  if,  by  God's  favor,  I  can  only  spread  it 
out  before  you,  and  rightly  explain  it,  it  can  hardly  fail 
to  be  profitable  to  you.  If  any  man  wishes  to  become 
a  disciple  of  Christ,  it  teaches  him  what  he  must  do. 
He  must  deny  himself — take  up  his  cross — and  follow 
him.  These  three  things  he  must  do,  or  he  can  never 
become  a  Christian. 

It  is  not  every  man  who  wishes  to  be  a  Christian. 
The  great  mass  of  men  do  not  desire  any  such  thing. 
Many  do  not  think  enough  about  it,  to  desire  it ;  while 
very  many  who  have  thought,  and  do  think  a  great 
deal  about  it,  had  rather  not  be  Christians.  They  do 
not  want  the  trouble,  and  anxiety,  and  responsibility ; 
but  greatly  prefer  to  live  on  as  they  are.     They  do  not 

5 


98  THE  TERMS   OF   DISCIPLESHIP. 

wish  to  be  singular  ;  but  choose  rather  the  broad  way 
with  the  multitude,  than  the  straight  and  narrow  way 
with  the  few. 

!  But  there  are  those  who  are  so  convinced  of  the 
truth  and  importance  of  religion,  that  they  desire  to 
possess  it.  They  have  lost  the  interest  in  the  things 
of  this  world  which  they  once  felt.  They  have  no 
relish  for  its  pleasures,  and  scarcely  any  heart  left  for 
its  ordinary  occupations.  They  are  unhappy,  and  feel 
that  they  need  something  which  this  world  cannot  give 
them.  Little  as  they  once  thought  of  Christ  and  re- 
ligion, they  have  different  views  now,  and  wish  to  be 
Christians,  and  desire  to  become  the  true  disciples  of 
Jesus  Christ. 

Nor  is  this  a  vain  and  unmeaning  desire.  They  wish 
to  be  instructed  in  the  school  of  Christ,  and  to  belong 
to  his  family.  They  wish  to  enlist  under  him  as  their 
Leader,  in  the  conflict  they  are  entering  upon  with  sin 
and  the  world ;  to  sign  the  articles  of  the  engagement 
by  which  they  bind  themselves  to  him  as  their  great 
Captain  and  Commander  over  the  perilous  voyage  of 
human  life.  They  do  not  wish  to  be  Christians  in 
name  only,  but  in  reality.  They  sincerely  desire  to 
consecrate  themselves  to  Christ,  and  to  be  devoted  to 
him  in  body,  soul,  and  spirit.  Just  as  some  men  desire 
to  be  learned,  and  others  to  be  rich ;  just  as  one  desires 
to  be  a  merchant,  another  a  mechanic,  another  a  sea- 
man ;  so  those  of  whom  we  are  speaking  desire  to  be 
Christians.  They  desire  above  all  things  to  be  Chris- 
tians ;  they  never  expect  to  be  happy  until  they  be- 
come Christians ;  they  do  not  look  in  any  way  to  better 
their  condition,  until  they  become  Christians. 

Are  any  of  you,  my  friends,  sensible  of  having  such 


THE  TERMS  OF  DISCIPLESHIP.  gg 

a  desire  ?  If  it  be  so,  give  God  the  praise.  A  desire 
like  this  does  not  belong  to  low,  earth-born  desires.  It 
does  not  originate  in  our  corrupt  nature  ;  it  does  not 
take  its  rise  in  any  worldly  considerations.  Fashion 
does  not  originate  it ;  convenience  does  not  originate 
it ;  no  considerations  of  worldly  interest,  honors,  or 
fame,  give  rise  to  it.  When  men  desire  to  become 
Christians  from  such  considerations  as  these,  their  de- 
sire is  short-lived,  feeble,  spurious,  and  fails  of  its  object. 
No,  it  is  from  no  such  sources  as  these.  "  It  is  not  of 
blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  w^ill  of  man, 
but  of  God."  The  desire  to  be  a  Christian  is  a  very 
deep  and  strong  desire,  where  it  is  found  in  the  soul  at 
all.  It  is  above  every  other  desire,  and  is  not  slow  to 
show  itself  in  ways  that  prove  its  true  and  deep  sin- 
cerity. 

It  has  been  already  observed,  that,  if  a  man  truly 
wishes  to  be  a  Christian,  there  are  three  things  which 
he  must  do : — he  must  deny  himself,  take  up  his  cross, 
and  follow  Christ. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  he  must  deny  himself.  It  is  one 
of  the  mournful  consequences  of  the  apostasy  of  our 
race  from  God,  that  by  it  man  became  a  supremely 
selfish  being.  Nor  is  there  any  one  trait  of  human 
wickedness,  all  the  world  over,  so  strong  as  this.  Men 
think  of  themselves,  love  themselves,  live  for  themselves. 
They  usurp  the  rights  of  the  Godhead,  substitute  self 
in  the  place  of  God,  and  make  themselves  their  Deity. 

But  if  a  man  would  become  a  Christian,  this  selfish 
spirit  must  be  denied.  God  must  no  longer  be  de- 
throned from  his  heart,  and  the  idol  self  set  up  in  his 
place ;  self  must  be  dethroned — self-righteousness,  self- 
reliance,  self-advancement,  self  in  all  its  forms,  and  in 


JOO  THE  TERMS  OF   DISClPLESHlP. 

every  form  where  it  comes  in  collision  with  God  s 
claims, — and  the  first  and  best  affections  must  be  given 
to  God,  and  he  alone  must  have  the  throne  within  the 
heart.  Those  rights  of  God,  of  which  he  has  been  so 
sacrilegiously  despoiled,  must  be  restored.  The  strong 
and  long-continued  selfish  habits  of  the  soul  must  be  sub- 
dued. They  must  be  subdued  in  principle,  and  brought 
to  that  self-abasement  and  that  disclaimer  of  personal 
claims  and  personal  righteousness  which  magnifies  the 
grace  of  God,  and  the  righteousness  of  his  Son.  And 
they  must  be  subdued  in  practice,  and  the  self-denial 
which  the  Gospel  enjoins,  carried  along  in  the  actings  of 
an  every-day  Christianity,  and  giving  evidence  that  it 
belongs  to  the  religion  of  the  Bible  to  "  put  off  the  old 
man  with  his  lusts,  and  put  on  the  new  man,  which, 
after  God,  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holi- 
ness." That  man's  religion  who  is  not  thus  clad  in  hum- 
ble robes,  and  whose  distinctive  livery  is  not  a  self-deny- 
ing heart  and  life  is  vain.  The  first  thing  which  he  must 
do,  if  he  would  be  a  Christian  indeed,  is  to  deny  himself 

II.  The  second  is,  to  take  up  his  cross.  If  he  would 
think,  and  feel,  and  speak,  and  act  like  a  Christian,  he 
will  have  enemies  to  encounter,  obstacles  to  surmount, 
and  trials  to  endure,  that  are  neither  few  nor  small. 
He  must  come  out  from  a  world  that  lieth  in  wicked- 
ness ;  make  the  people  of  God  his  chosen  companions, 
enter  upon  the  path  that  is  trodden  by  the  few,  and 
bear  shame  and  reproach  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  The 
church  of  God  is  not  yet  a  triumphant,  but  a  militant 
community,  opposed  and  opposing  till  its  contests  be- 
come victories. 

The  cross  is  the  emblem  of  hope — sweet  emblem  ;  it 
is  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  to  all  people.     But  it  is  also 


THE  TERMS   OF   DISCIPLESHIP.  JQI 

the  emblem  of  ignominy  and  suffering.  It  was  so  to 
the  Saviour,  it  is  so  to  his  disciples.  To  a  greater  or 
less  degree,  they  endure  reproach  and  suffering,  for 
being  Christians.  And  in  whatever  form  these  come 
upon  them  on  this  account,  this  is  their  cross.  This  is 
the  true  idea  of  the  cross  as  it  is  borne  by  Christians. 
It  is  a  cross  to  stand  almost  alone  as  the  friends  of 
Christ  and  his  Gospel  in  this  fault-finding  world.  It  is 
a  cross  to  bear  testimony  against  evil  men  and  evil 
times,  and  faithfully  to  oppose  the  swollen  current  of 
evil  example  and  influences.  It  is  a  cross  to  withstand 
vain  and  fashionable  customs  and  usages,  to  contend 
with  error  and  false  religion,  and  stiff  and  bigoted  for- 
malism. It  is  a  cross  to  be  censured  because  we  are 
singular,  and  to  feel  constrained  to  impose  restraints 
upon  an  intercourse  with  those  we  love,  because  they 
endanger  our  piety.  It  is  a  cross,  not  only  to  contend 
with  our  spiritual  enemies,  but  to  turn  our  back  upon 
them,  to  run  away  like  cowards,  because  we  are  more 
afraid  of  ourselves  than  of  them. 

Nor  is  this  all.  The  Christian  may  often  be  called 
to  suffer  in  other  ways,  and  for  his  faith  and  a  good 
conscience.  He  may  not  have  access  to  offices  of 
emolument,  honor  and  trust,  merely  because  he  is  a 
Christian.  Like  Christians  of  other  times,  he  may  suf- 
fer the  "  spoiling  of  his  goods"  for  his  rehgion,  and  be 
treated  as  the  oftscouring  of  the  earth  for  the  sake  of 
Christ.  He  may  be  dragged  before  human  tribunals, 
cast  into  prisons,  be  exposed  to  the  fury  of  wicked 
men,  and  called  to  die  for  the  faith  and  name  he  will 
in  no  wise  renounce.  In  enduring  these,  or  any  of 
these,  for  Christ's  sake,  the  Christian  takes  up  the  cross. 
There  is  a  cross  for  him  to  take  up ;  he  must  suffer  be- 


102  THE  TERMS   OF   DISCIPLESHIP. 

cause  he  is  a  Christian,  and  "  will  live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus."  Those  who  have  no  cross  to  bear,  may  well 
be  afraid  that  they  have  little,  or  none  of  the  religion 
of  Christ.  If  we  were  such  Christians  as  Paul,  and 
Peter,  and  John,  the  world  would  take  knowledge  of 
us  that  we  had  been  with  Jesus  ;  "  the  meanest  servants 
in  the  hall  of  Caiaphas  would  discover  our  true  charac- 
ter ;  our  speech  would  betray  us."  If  we  would  not 
deny  our  Maker  at  any  price,  we  should  be  made  to 
feel  the  consequences  of  our  unflinching  fidelity.  This 
is  a  cross  we  shall  take  up  if  we  would  be  Christ's  dis- 
ciples. We  may  be  called  Christians,  and  have  no 
cross  to  take  up.  We  may  side  now  with  Christ,  and 
now  with  the  world ;  with  a  trembling  servility  to  men 
we  may  hail  from  both  sides,  and  have  no  cross  to  bear. 
But  w^ho  wishes  to  be  such  a  Christian  as  this ;  or  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  this  bastard  Christianity  ? 
No ;  if  any  man  will  be  Christ's  disciple,  he  must  take 
up  his  cross,  and  follow  his  Divine  Master. 

III.  And  this  is  the  third  thing :  he  must  follow  the 
Saviour.  To  such  Christ  is  revealed  in  the  threefold 
character  of  Teacher,  Saviour,  and  Lord.  The  man 
who  would  fain  become  a  Christian  is  a  benighted  man ; 
he  has  a  darkened  understanding  and  an  erring  con- 
science. He  needs  a  guide ;  and  there  is  but  one  that 
he  can  safely  follow ;  and  he  it  is  who  is  the  "  light  of 
the  world"  and  the  "  life  of  men."  He  must  seek  his 
teaching,  and  follow  it,  or  he  cannot  be  his  disciple. 
His  first  and  his  last  lesson  must  be  learned  of  Christ. 
His  business  is  implicitly  to  follow  Christ's  instructions. 
He  will  never  be  a  Christian,  if  he  does  not  meekly  re- 
ceive the  ingrafted  word,  which  is  able  to  make  him 
wise  to  salvation. 


THE  TERMS  OF   DISCIPLESHIP.  JQS 

Nor  is  it  as  his  Teacher  only  that  he  must'  follow 
Christ,  but  as  his  Saviour.  He  is  a  sinner  ;  and  no- 
thing but  the  blood  of  Christ  can  wash  away  his  sins, 
remove  his  fears,  and  give  him  pardon  and  peace  with 
God.  Perplexity,  remorse,  and  terror,  will  be  the  por- 
tion of  the  soul  that  looks  not  to  this  great  Sacrifice, 
and  confides  not  in  this  great  Atoning  and  interceding 
High  Priest.  It  is  a  bloody  path  that  we  must  tread, 
if  we  would  follow  Christ ;  but  it  is  marked  by  his 
blood,  and  not  our  own.  The  blood  of  sprinkling  is 
the  true  token  of  the  way ;  follow  it ;  trace  it  up  to 
the  cross. 

It  is  equally  true,  that  whoever  would  be  a  Christian, 
must  follow  Christ  as  his  Lord  and  King.  When  you 
once  know  his  will,  never  question  its  rectitude,  or 
wisdom,  just  follow  it.  What  he  requires,  perform; 
avoid  what  he  forbids.  When  he  speaks,  be  still.  Ask 
no  questions,  where  he  has  decided.  Never  hesitate, 
when  he  has  once  spoken.  His  is  to  command,  yours 
to  obey.  The  Christianity  that  does  not  do  his  will, 
neither  believes  his  doctrines,  nor  trusts  his  grace. 
"  AU  power  is  given  to  him  in  heaven  and  in  earth  f 
but  it  is  to  govern,  as  well  as  save.  When  he  calls,  say 
to  him,  "  speak.  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth !"  Fol- 
low wherever  he  leads  the  way.  It  is  safe  to  walk  in 
his  footsteps.  You  will  not  indeed  ever  reach  the  high 
standard  of  his  example ;  but  this  is  the  only  standard 
that  truly  exemplifies  the  religion  of  the  Gospel,  and  at 
which  you  must  aim.  In  all  dubious  questions  of 
moral  conduct,  it  is  always  a  safe- question  to  propose 
to  ourselves,  How  did  Christ  act  ?  and  how  would  he 
conduct  himself  in  my  circumstances  and  responsibili- 
ties ?     No  other  example  is  worthy,  in  all  respects,  of 


104  T^HE  TERMS   OF   DISCIPLESHIP. 

being  always  imitated.  Every  grace,  every  virtue,  in 
its  highest  perfection  and  untarnished  beauty  and  love- 
liness, may  be  learned  from  him. 

Once  more,  let  us  repeat  the  comprehensive  instruc- 
tion of  the  text.  "  If  any  man  will  come  after  me,  let 
him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow  me." 
Have  you  no  desire  to  be  Christians  ?  Ye  sons  of  the 
ocean,  tell  me,  are  not  ye  willing  to  be  the  disciples  of 
Christ  ?  Is  it  the  drudgery  of  this  world  only  that  you 
love ;  is  it  enough  for  you  to  toil,  and  suffer,  and  die  in 
the  pursuit  of  things  that  are  seen  ?  Are  you  dead  to 
every  other  call,  but  the  call  of  Christ?  Are  you 
awake,  active,  and  in  earnest  to  every  other  interest, 
but  the  interests  of  eternity  ?  Have  you  no  desire  to 
become  Christians,  and  no  courage  to  strive  to  enter 
into  the  streight  gate  ?  If  you  have,  it  is  you  the  Sa- 
viour is  speaking  to  in  the  text.  He  would  have  you 
holy,  happy,  and  saved.  He  came  for  the  great  pur- 
pose of  seeking  and  saving  that  which  was  lost.  Listen 
to  him.  His  counsels  to  you  are,  "Deny  yourself; 
take  up  your  cross ;  follow  me !"  Hear  him.  Hear 
him,  I  say ;  his  voice  is  not  the  voice  of  storms ;  it  is  a 
still,  small  voice  addressed  to  the  inward  ear.  Hear 
him,  and  follow  him  wherever  he  goes.  His  path  is 
sometimes  in  the  bright  sunlight ;  sometimes  it  is  in  the 
mighty  waters ;  sometimes  it  is  where  you  may  not 
find  a  place  to  lay  your  head ;  sometimes  it  may  be 
through  the  deep  wilderness ;  and  we  know  it  must  at 
last  be  through  the  dark  and  chilled  valley ;  but  wher- 
ever he  goes,  follow  him.  Swerve  not  from  his  truth, 
for  it  is  the  bread  of  life ;  nor  from  his  promises,  for 
they  are  sure ;  nor  from  his  sacrifice,  for  it  is  your 
hope ;  nor  from  his  presence,  his  love,  himself,  for  they 


THE  TERMS   OP   DISCIPLESHIP.  IQ5 

are  your  strength  in  weakness,  your  consolation  in 
trial,  your  comforter  in  your  short  passage  through  this 
transitory  world,  your  conquest  over  the  last  foe.  Fol- 
low him  to  the  last ;  and  after  having  washed  your 
robes  and  made  them  white  in  his  blood  ;  after  having 
walked  in  some  measure  as  he  walked,  participated 
with  him  in  his  trials  and  conflicts,  and  borne  that 
measure  of  his  cross  which  may  be  assigned  to  you, 
you  shall  follow  him,  not  to  his  cross,  but  to  his  grave 
and  his  home. 


SERMON  X. 

THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT. 

John  iii.  14,  15.  As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even 
so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 

The  Apostle  Paul  says  to  the  Corinthians,  "  Neither 
let  us  tempt  Christ ;  as  some  of  them  tempted  him  in 
the  wilderness,  and  were  destroyed  of  serpents."  The 
condition  of  the  children  of  Israel,  at  the  time  to  which 
the  Apostle  here  refers,  was  in  many  respects  greatly 
affecting.  They  were  now  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of 
their  pilgrimage,  and  after  many  wanderings,  were  once 
more  in  the  ordinary  course  of  the  caravans  through 
the  Arabian  desert  to  the  valleys  of  Palestine.  Though 
greatly  diversified  by  miracles  of  mercy  and  of  judg- 
ment, it  had  been  a  tedious  and  monotonous  journey  ; 
and  "  the  soul  of  the  people  was  much  discouraged  be- 
cause of  the  way."  It  had  been  circuitous  and  intri- 
cate ;  and  it  lay  through  an  enemy's  land.  They  had 
taken  many  false  steps,  and  had  incurred  the  displeas- 
ure of  God.  There  had  been  many  defections ;  and 
the  mass  of  those  who  had  come  to  years  of  manhood 
when  they  left  Egypt,  had  died  in  the  wilderness.  Mir- 
iam and  Aaron  were  dead,  and  Moses,  too,  their  great 
leader,  was  shortly  to  be  removed  from  them,  to  go 
up  to  Mount  Nebo  and  die. 


THE  BRAZEN   SERPENT.  IQJ 

Yet  the  promise  was  sure  that  they  should  be  put  in 
possession  of  the  long  wished-for  inheritance.  And 
they  were  now  in  high  expectation  of  soon  coming  to 
the  close  of  their  tedious  march.  But  in  this  their  ex- 
pectations were  disappointed.  Moses  had  just  sent  a 
request  to  the  King  of  Edom  to  grant  them  an  unmo- 
lested passage  through  his  land  ;  and  to  this  request  he 
had  received  not  only  an  uncourteous,  but  a  threatening 
refusal.  So  that  the  children  of  Israel  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  mountains  of  Idumea,  go  round  the  territory 
of  Edom,  and  pursue  their  journey  once  more  by  the 
way  of  the  Red  Sea. 

This  was  a  trial  too  great  for  them  to  submit  to ;  they 
could  not  bear  to  see  their  hopes  thus  suddenly  cut  off, 
and  again  to  be  under  the  necessity  of  encountering 
the  solitude,  and  drought,  and  privations  of  the  Desert. 
They  were  depressed  and  disheartened ;  they  mur- 
mured and  rebelled.  "  They  spake  against  God  and 
against  Moses,  Wherefore  have  ye  brought  us  up  out 
of  Egypt  to  die  in  the  wilderness  ?  For  there  is  no 
bread,  neither  is  there  any  water ;  and  our  soul  loath- 
eth  this  light  bread — this  manna  which  is  given  to  us." 

A  poor  return  was  this  for  all  their  experience  of 
God's  care  and  nurture !  God  was  angry  with  them, 
and  in  the  midst  of  their  guilty  and  tumultuous  com- 
plaints, sent  the  fiery  messengers  of  his  indignation 
among  them  to  silence  their  ingratitude  and  seditious 
murmurings.  "The  Lord  sent  fiery  serpents  among 
the  people,  and  they  bit  the  people,  and  much  people 
of  Israel  died." 

Yet  "  in  wrath  did  God  remember  mercy."  Great 
as  their  provocations  had  been,  there  was  a  heaven- 
devised   remedy.     And   the   Lord   said   unto   Moses, 


108  THE  BRAZEN   SERPENT. 

"  Make  thee  a  fiery  serpent,  and  set  it  upon  a  pole ; 
and  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  every  one  that  is  bitten 
when  he  looketh  upon  it  shall  live.  And  Moses  made 
a  serpent  of  brass,  and  put  it  upon  a  pole,  and  it  came 
to  pass  that  if  a  serpent  had  bitten  any  man,  when  he 
beheld  the  serpent  of  brass,  he  lived." 

This,  very  summarily  told,  is  the  story  of  "  Moses' 
lifting  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness."  It  is  needless 
to  ask  what  it  means ;  for  every  man  who  reads  the 
Bible  knows.  It  was  a  prefiguration  of  Christ,  the 
Great  Healer,  who  was  lifted  up  on  the  cross.  Though 
a  mere  serpent  of  brass,  it  was  emblematical  of  some- 
thing more.  "  For,  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in 
the  wilderness,  even  so  must  the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted 
up ;  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  eternal  life." 

And  now  what  are  the  great  and  instructive  lessons 
which  this  interesting  piece  of  history  teaches  us  ? 
Every  man  of  reflection  must  see  that  it  is  fraught 
with  salutary  counsel.     We  remark  from  it, 

I.  In  the  first  place,  that  the  sins  of  men  expose  them 
to  the  wrath  of  God. 

Like  the  children  of  Israel  in  their  journey  through 
the  wilderness,  men  have  rebelled  against  God  in  their 
short  journey  through  this  wilderness  world.  Like  the 
sins  of  Israel,  their  sin  is  "  written  with  a  pen  of  iron 
and  the  point  of  a  diamond."  Hatred  of  God  and  dis- 
obedience of  his  law ;  his  goodness  trampled  on,  and 
his  mercy  rejected;  his  patience  abused,  his  expostula- 
tions disregarded  ;  all  indicate  a  state  of  mind  that  is 
alienated  from  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  a  heart  that  is 
hardened  in  sin  and  desperately  wicked.  There  may 
be  those  who  are  so  careless,  as  to  give  no  heed  to  such 


THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT.  jQg 

representations  of  human  wickedness ;  and  there  may 
be  those  who  are  so  impious  and  profane,  as  to  deride 
them.  But  this  does  not  alter  their  solemn  truth. 
Many  there  are  who  depreciate  the  aggravation,  and 
more  who  forget  the  number  of  their  transgressions ; 
but  this  neither  diminishes  the  turpitude,  nor  blots  out 
the  existence  of  their  forgotten  wickedness.  Not  a  few 
are  the  ways  which  the  God  of  heaven  adopts,  to  re- 
mind us  of  our  sin  and  admonish  us  of  its  exceeding 
sinfulness ;  yet  do  the  mass  of  men  resist  those  admo- 
nitions, and  pursue  their  sinful  courses  with  little  short 
of  absolute  infatuation,  and  as  though  "  madness  were 
in  their  hearts."  Ample  and  melancholy  is  the  proof  of 
human  wickedness,  every  day  presented  to  our  eyes, 
and  in  whatever  direction  we  look.  Practical  atheism 
and  speculative  infidelity,  profligacy  and  pleasure,  con- 
tempt of  God's  word  and  ordinances,  profanity  and 
Sabbath-breaking,  fraud  and  falsehood,  intemperance 
and  licentiousness,  are  sins  over  which  both  the  sea 
and  the  land  mourn. 

It  were  the  deepest  stupidity  to  allow  ourselves  to 
believe  that  the  Lord  God  will  suffer  the  sins  of  men  to 
go  unpunished.  His  nature  is  holy,  his  law  is  holy,  and 
his  word,  faithful  and  true,  everywhere  assures  us  that 
he  "will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty."  There  are 
not  wanting  means  and  instruments  of  his  vengeance, 
when  the  hour  is  come  to  punish  a  guilty  man,  or  visit 
their  iniquity  upon  a  guilty  people.  Sometimes  the 
earth  opens  and  swallows  them  up ;  sometimes  fire  from 
heaven  comes  down  and  destroys  them ;  sometimes  the 
stormy  wind  ingulfs  them  in  the  deep  waters.  Some- 
times war  desolates  them,  and  they  become  the  prey  of 
the  ferocious  and  relentless  passions  of  men.     Some- 


110  THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT. 

times  they  breathe  a  poisoned  atmosphere,  and  die  of 
pestilence  and  plague.  Sometimes  the  seasons  are 
withered,  the  earth  refuses  to  yield  her  fruits,  and  they 
perish  by  famine.  Sometimes  God  bears  long  with 
them,  and  delays  to  strike  the  blow,  and  lets  it  fall  the 
heavier  at  the  last,  and  sinks  them  into  the  pit  of  eternal 
despair. 

Very  often  "  wicked  men  do  not  live  out  half  their 
days."  God  curses  them  as  he  did  the  inhabitants  of 
Canaan,  and  exterminates  them  from  the  earth.  In  the 
brief  narrative  which  is  given  of  the  rebellious  Israel- 
ites, and  to  which  there  is  a  reference  in  the  text,  God 
teaches  us  a  lesson  we  ought  never  to  forget.  It  was 
a  fearful  hour  to  this  wicked  people,  when  he  commis- 
sioned that  army  of  deadly  serpents  noiselessly  to  shoot 
along  the  earth,  everywhere  instilling  their  burning 
venom  into  these  blasphemers  against  the  God  of  Israel. 
It  was  a  scene  of  universal  confusion  and  misery. 
Here  were  the  exclamations  of  terror,  and  there  the 
more  mournful  cries  of  grief  and  despair.  Some  were 
in  the  agonies  of  a  dreadful  death ;  while  others  had 
already  fallen  victims  to  their  scorching  anguish,  and 
were  dead. 

What  a  lesson  is  this  for  us !  It  is  but  the  picture 
of  that  more  scorching  indignation  which  we  all  de- 
serve for  our  sins,  and  like  the  destruction  of  the  cities 
of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  *'set  forth  as  an  example, 
suffering  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire."  Review  your 
own  life,  and  ask  yourselves  if  there  is  nothing  in  your 
melancholy  history  which  resembles  the  history  of  these 
Israelites,  and  whether  you  do  not  deserve  the  final 
destruction  which  was  inflicted  on  them  ?  The  Lord 
God,  long-suffering  and  gracious,  may  not  now  pour  out 


THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT.  m 

upon  you  the  fury  of  his  anger ;  but  there  is  a  storm  of 
wrath  thicker  than  ever  lowered  over,  the  affrighted 
ocean.  There  is  no  folly  like  that  which  affects  to 
despise  the  divine  threatenings.  God  does  not  trifle 
with  us,  and  he  will  not  permit  us  to  trifle  with  him. 
He  would  fain  reclaim  men  from  their  guilty  indiffer- 
ence, because  he  is  loth  to  make  them  the  monuments 
of  his  wrath.  He  is  in  earnest  when  he  threatens,  and 
he  is  in  earnest  when  he  tries  the  arguments  of  mercy. 
And  these  form, 

II.  The  second  topic  of  instruction  suggested  by  the 
text,  and  imhodied  in  that  significant  emblem  of  the 
crucified  Saviour,  which  Moses  lifted  up  in  the  wilder- 
ness. 

The  Israelites  perished  in  great  numbers  for  their 
foolish  and  wicked  revolt.  Stung  by  the  fiery  serpents, 
they  had  all  been  inevitably  lost,  but  for  the  brazen 
serpent  which  Moses  lifted  up  on  the  top  of  one  of  the 
standards  of  Israel  in  the  midst  of  the  camp.  All  hu- 
man remedies  were  powerless.  In  all  the  circles  of 
friendship,  in  all  the  skill  of  man,  in  all  the  kingdom  of 
nature,  there  were  no  efforts,  no  means,  no  counsels 
that  could  save  them.  There  was  but  this  one  remedy 
— the  serpent  which  Moses  lifted  up. 

So  there  is  but  this  one  remedy  for  men,  stung  by  the 
fiery  darts  of  the  Old  Serpent,  and  destroyed  by  that 
spirit  "  which  worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience." 
All  are  inevitably  lost,  without  Christ.  "  There  is  no 
other  name  given  under  heaven  among  men,  whereby 
they  must  be  saved."  To  the  eye  of  human  reason, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  serpent  of  brass  that  could 
encourage  the  hopes  of  the  dying  Israelites.  Who 
would   have   thought  that  it  possessed   such  healing 


112  THE  BRAZEN   SERPENT. 

virtue?  Many  a  proud  Israelite  probably  reasoned 
thus  with  himself,  and  said,  "  How  can  this  senseless 
piece  of  metal  effect  such  a  wonderful  cure  ?"  And 
just  so  do  men  reason  about  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  is 
*'  a  stumbling  block  to  the  Jew,  and  to  the  Greek  fool- 
ishness." It  does  not  commend  itself  to  the  reasoning 
pride,  and  to  the  depraved  and  self-sufficient  heart  of 
man.  The  despised  Son  of  Mary,  nailed  to  the  tree  on 
Golgotha,  how  is  he  to  justify,  and  regenerate,  and  save 
sinners  to  the  remotest  bounds  of  earth  and  sea,  and  to 
the  remotest  ages  of  time  ?  "  He  hath  neither  form, 
nor  comeliness,  that  we  should  desire  him ;  we  hid,  as  it 
were,  our  faces  from  him ;  he  was  despised  and  we 
esteemed  him  not." 

Yet  is  this  God's  method  of  mercy,  as  truly  as  was 
the  serpent  in  the  wilderness  the  appointed  remedy  for 
the  otherwised  ruined  Israelites.  Men  may  scoff  at  it, 
and  say  it  has  no  saving  virtue ;  but  the  God  of  heaven 
has  imparted  to  it  such  efficacy,  that  through  this  cru- 
cified Saviour  his  own  mercy,  his  rich  and  abounding 
mercy,  his  mercy  to  pardon  and  save  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, may,  consistently  both  with  the  divine  attributes 
and  the  divine  government,  be,  and  is  freely  communi- 
cated to  all  who  will  stoop  to  receive  it. 

The  efficacy  of  the  death  of  Christ  depends  upon  a 
few  intelligible  principles  distinctly  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures.  He  who  was  lifted  up  on  the  cross  of  Cal- 
vary was  no  sinner ;  yet  was  he  lifted  up  as  a  sinner, 
under  the  resemhlance  of  a  sinner,  and  in  the  place,  the 
room  and  stead  of  sinners.  He  who  "  knew  no  sin  was 
made  sin /or  ?^5;"  and  though  not  himself  a  transgres- 
sor, he  "  was  numbered  with  the  transgressors,  and  bare 
the  sin  of  many."     His  death  was  appointed  by  God  as 


THE  BRAZEN   SERPENT.  113 

a  satisfaction  to  his  justice,  instead  of  the  sinner's 
death ;  and  is  accepted  as  such  a  satisfaction.  It  was 
the  death  of  no  mere  creature,  but  of  God's  incarnate 
Son,  his  second  self,  his  own  Son,  the  "  Lamb  of  God 
who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world."  He  was  the 
Great  High  Priest  who  offered  up  himself  to  God  for 
us  ;  who  gave  up  himself  to  do  and  to  suffer  all  that  the 
law  and  justice  of  God  required  for  the  expiation  of 
human  sin ;  thus  bringing  pardon  to  all  who  believed 
in  him ;  giving  them  peace,  healing  the  guilt-stung 
conscience,  and  "  purging  it  from  dead  works  to  serve 
the  living  God." 

There  is  one  fact  of  importance  in  relation  to  the 
serpent  lifted  up  in  the  wilderness,  which  illustrates  the 
all-sufficiency  and  fulness  of  Christ's  redemption.  It 
was  lifted  up ;  it  was  raised  aloft,  so  that  all  Israel 
could  look  at  it ;  and  so  high  and  so  brilliant  was  it, 
that  the  most  distant  in  that  vast  company  of  more  than 
two  millions  of  people,  might  easily  see  it  from  the  re- 
motest limits  of  the  camp.  Children  could  see  it,  and 
nursings  infants  writhing  in  agony  in  their  mothers' 
arms,  might  be  held  up  to  look  upon  it  and  live.  So  is 
it  with  him  who  was  lifted  up  on  the  cross  :  it  was  that 
'^  whosoever  hc\iQ,Y(di\\  in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life."  The  language  of  that  mighty  sufferer  is, 
"  Look  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the 
earth,  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else."  There  is 
no  poor  sinner  who  has  not  a  divine  warrant  to  look 
to  Christ  for  salvation.  He  is  a  "  propitiation  for  the 
sins  of  the  world."  He  is  offered  to  all  ;  "  whosoever 
will  may  come ;"  nor  is  there  a  sinner  on  the  broad 
earth,  or  broader  sea,  who  hears  this  testimony,  but 
may  believe  it  and  embrace  it  for  his  own  soul,  and 


114  THR   BRAZEN   SERPENT. 

have  all  the  relief,  the  peace,  the  joy  of  this  great  sal- 
vation. One  and  all  of  you,  my  hearers,  may  have 
this  salvation ;  and  it  is  because  you  do  not  choose  to 
take  it,  if  it  do  not  indeed  belong  to  you. 

And  this  thought  leads  us, 

III.  To  the  third  and  last  lesson  which  the  text  in- 
culcates, which  is,  that  we  become  partakers  of  this 
great  remedy  for  human  sin  and  ivoe,  by  personally  re- 
ceiving it. 

Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  that 
every  one  who  looked  upon  it  might  live.  Bring  before 
your  minds  the  camp  of  Israel,  when  Moses  announced 
to  them  the  answer  of  God  to  his  prayer  that  he  would 
heal  the  people.  Set  the  scene  before  you,  as  he  lifted 
up  on  the  staff  of  one  of  the  highest  standards,  the  token 
of  deliverance  which  God  had  ordained,  and  caused  to 
be  proclaimed  throughout  all  these  tribes.  Whoso  look- 
ETH  ON  IT  SHALL  LIVE  !  There  the  signal  stands  lifted 
up  in  the  air  above  all  their  tents ;  while  everywhere 
there  goes  forth  from  it  a  noiseless  but  reviving  power. 
No  matter  what  the  varieties  of  the  disease,  or  the  in- 
tensity of  the  poison,  or  the  stage  of  its  progress  ;  who- 
soever looked  recovered.  Woe  to  the  unhappy  Israel- 
ite who  neglected  the  remedy!  But  happy, — happy 
the  man,  who,  ever  so  covered  with  wounds,  and  ever 
so  deeply  scarred,  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  divinely- 
appointed  signal ! 

Such  is  the  meaning  of  the  language,  the  Son  of 
Man  was  "lifted  up,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him 
should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life."  The  remedy 
is  yours  in  offer  even  while  it  is  rejected  ;  but  it  is  not 
yours  in  possession  until  you  have  accepted  it.  How 
can  it  be  ?     How  can  it  be  if  it  is  treated  as  a  worth- 


THE  BRAZEN  SERPENT.  jj^ 

less  thing,  and  trampled  under  your  feet  ?"  The  ser- 
pent in  the  wilderness  was  but  a  conditional  provision 
for  the  whole  camp  of  Israel ;  the  condition  was  that 
they  should  look  upon  it ;  and  the  death  of  Christ  is  a 
conditional  provision  for  this  whole  world  of  sinners ; 
and  the  condition  is,  that  they  believe  in  it. 

The  look  of  the  perishing  Israelite  was  but  the  look 
of  the  eye.  Yet  was  it  one  to  which  he  was  impelled 
by  a  sense  of  his  sufferings,  and  which  he  had  no  desire 
to  withhold.  He  believed  in  the  testimony  of  God,  that 
looking  he  should  live.  It  would  seem  that  this  whole 
people  came  running  to  Moses,  crying,  "  We  have  sin- 
ned ;  for  we  have  spoken  against  the  Lord  and  against 
thee.  Pray  unto  the  Lord  that  he  may  take  away  the 
serpents  from  us !"  God  gives  the  sinner  relief  when 
he  feels  the  burden  of  his  sins,  and  thus  looks  to  Jesus. 
Men  never  truly  sue  for  mercy,  without  an  ingenuous 
confession  of  guilt.  No  unhumbled  mind  ever  truly 
looks  to  Christ,  or  has  a  part  in  the  great  remedy  he 
has  provided.  We  shall  find  healing  and  relief  from 
the  venomous  disease,  the  burning  poison  of  sin,  only 
as  w^e  thus  feel  its  effects,  pray  to  be  delivered  from  its 
power,  and  lay  hold  of  that  deliverance  by  faith.  With 
the  same  mingled  emotions  of  lamentation  and  hope 
with  which  the  supplicating  Israelite  looked  to  the  bra- 
zen serpent,  and  with  more  than  their  relentings,  ought 
we  to  look  to  him  who  was  lifted  up  on  the  cross.  De- 
lightful is  that  look  of  faith,  delightful  is  that  relief! 
What  a  memorable  hour  is  that  when  the  soul  looks  to 
Jesus,  and  feels  the  plague  of  sin  stayed,  the  sources  of 
death  drying  up  withing  him !  It  is  not  able  to  repress 
its  joy,  but  gives  glory  to  God. 

O  fellow-sinners,  look  and  live  !     Do  not  despise  so 


116  THE   BRAZEN   SERPENT. 

great  salvation.  As  the  eyes  of  thousands  turned  to 
that  one  banner  in  Israel,  that  had  upon  it  the  brazen 
serpent,  so  let  your  eyes  be  turned  toward  Christ.  God 
your  Saviour  is  almighty,  and  he  invites  you  to  look 
and  live.  Despair  of  help  except  from  him.  Nothing 
is  impossible  with  God.  There  is  yet  time  for  you  to 
look  and  live,  and  to  give  glory  to  him.  From  the 
tents  of  Judah  to  the  outermost  ranks  of  Asher  and 
Naphtali,  the  voice  is  still  heard,  Look  and  live.  There 
stands  the  cross ;  come  to  it  with  all  your  sins  and  your 
sorrows,  and  it  shall  never  be  that  you  perish. 

I  would  not  leave  you  to-day,  without  leading  you  to 
that  Saviour.  Will  you  not  look  up  to  that  mighty  De- 
liverer, and  accept  that  signal  deliverance  which  is  or- 
dained in  heaven  ?  Will  you  not  "  count  all  things  but 
loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  ?" 
O  ye  who  still  neglect  him !  ye  have  not  comprehended 
the  height  and  depth  of  his  love.  You  have  not  appre- 
ciated the  glad  tidings  of  his  great  salvation.  Aged, 
weather-beaten  sailor,  look  to  that  cross.  Youthful 
sailor,  look  to  that  cross.  You  may  not  now  believe 
that  you  are  bitten  by  the  poisonous  tooth  of  sin.  But 
if  you  go  not  to  that  cross,  and  cast  not  yourselves 
upon  that  Saviour,  and  find  healing  in  his  atoning 
blood,  the  poison  will  rage  and  the  flame  will  burn  that 
never  can  be  quenched. 

I  sum  up  the  thoughts  presented  in  this  discourse  in 
the  language  of  a  man,  who  was  once  a  sailor,  like  your- 
selves, and  who  afterv/ards  lived  and  died  one  of  the  most 
eminent  ministers  of  Christ  the  world  has  known. 

"  As  the  serpent  raised  by  Moses, 

Heal'd  the  burning  serpent's  bite ; 
Jesus  thus  himself  discloses 
To  the  wounded  sinner's  sight. 


THE   BRAZEN   SERPENT.  ^^7 

"  Hear  his  gracious  invitation : 
*  I  have  life  and  peace  to  give ; 
I  have  wrought  out  full  salvation, 
Sinner,  look  to  me  and  live. 


"  *  You  had  been  forever  wretched, 
Had  not  I  espoused  your  part; 
Now  behold  my  arms  outstretched  ^ 

To  receive  you  to  my  heart. 

"  '  Well  may  shame,  and  joy,  and  wonder, 
All  your  inward  passions  move  ; 
I  could  crush  you  with  my  thunder, 
But  I  speak  to  you  in  love.' 

"  Dearest  Saviour  !  we  adore  thee 
For  thy  precious  life  and  death ; 
Melt  each  stubborn  heart  before  thee, 
Give  us  all  the  eye  of  faith." 

"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ;  peace  on  earth,  and 
good  will  to  men  !"     Amen ! 


SERMON  XL 

ALL  IS  WELL. 

Mark  vii,  37.     He  hath  done  all  things  well. 

God's  way  is  in  the  sea,  and  his  path  in  the  mighty 
waters.  The  dispensations  of  his  providence  are  some- 
times bright,  and  sometimes  shrouded  in  darkness. 
They  are  often  so  mysterious  and  so  unlooked-for,  that 
it  requires  a  state  of  mind  not  always  enjoyed,  to  take 
in  the  whole  extent  of  them,  and  be  satisfied  that  "  All 
is  well." 

All  is  well !  A  soothing,  cheering  cry  is  this,  when 
the  watchman  utters  it,  in  his  solitary  w^alks  of  vigilance 
and  care  through  the  cro^vded  and  slumbering  city; 
and  when  the  warder  utters  it,  as  he  patrols  the  walls 
of  the  castle  that  borders  on  the  enemy's  country ! 
It  is  indeed  a  delightful  state  of  mind  to  feel  this 
truth ;  and  when  we  look  abroad  over  the  world,  and 
over  the  universe  God  has  made,  to  have  the  inward 
and  calm  assurance  that  "he  hath  done  all  things 
well."  It  is  the  highest  privilege  of  a  good  man,  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  violent  tempests  that  assail  his 
earthly  hopes,  with  his  hand  on  the  truth  and  promises 
of  God,  and  his  eyes  directed  toward  heaven,  to  be 
satisfied  that  All  is  well.  Like  the  fabled  stone  of  the 
alchemist  which  turned  everything  it  touched  into  gold, 
this  is  a  confidence,  a  faith  in  God,  which  changes 


ALL   IS    WELL,  Ug 

night  into  day,  and  transforms  evil  into  good.  Let  us 
attempt  both  to  explain  and  prove  this  great  truth. 

I.  Our  first  object  is  to  explain  it. 

Men  are  very  partial  and  poor  judges  of  the  works 
and  w^ays  of  God.  We  have  no  evidence  that  even  the 
pure  and  lofty  minds  of  angels  fully  understand  them ; 
for  "  wlio  by  searching  can  find  out  God,  who  can  find 
out  the  Almighty  to  perfection  ?"  It  is  only  the  infinite 
mind  of  God  himself  that  comprehends  all  that  he  does; 
that  views  everything  in  its  true  light,  because  it  sees 
everything  as  it  is,  and  in  all  its  connections  and  con- 
sequences. He  alone  appreciates  everything  accord- 
ing to  its  real  worth,  because  "  he  sees  the  end  from 
the  beginning,  and  from  ancient  times  the  things  that 
are  not  yet  done." 

When  the  Patriarch  Jacob  was  bereaved  of  his  dear- 
est earthly  hopes,  he  exclaimed,  in  great  gloom  and 
depression  of  mind,  "All  these  things  are  against  me!" 
But  he  could  see  but  a  little  ways.  He  could  not  see 
far  enough  to  know  what  the  end  of  them  would  be, 
nor  how  easily  God  could  govern,  and  direct,  and  over- 
rule "  all  these  things,"  and  make  them  '•  work  together 
for  his  good."  What  is  well  in  our  view  is  not  always 
v^ell  in  God's.  What  often  appears  to  us  to  be  our 
best  seasons,  prove  in  the  end  to  have  been  our  worst ; 
and  what  often  appear  to  us  to  be  our  worst  seasons, 
prove  to  be  our  best.  What  is  best  for  us  to-day,  may 
not  be  the  best  for  us  to-morrow.  What  is  best  for  us 
in  time,  may  not  be  best  for  us  in  eternity.  What  is 
best  for  our  worldly  prosperity  and  comfort,  may  not  be 
for  the  real  and  substantial  good  of  our  immortal  souls. 

All  is  well  that  ends  well.  All  is  well  that  makes  us 
in  the  end  the  most  holy,  the  most  useful,  and  the  most 


120  ALL   IS   WELL. 

happy.  All  is  well  that  establishes  us  in  the  faith  and 
hope  of  the  Gospel;  that  promotes  our  sanctification, 
and  fits  us  for  death  and  heaven.  All  is  well  that  con- 
curs in  conducting  us  safely  through  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  of  this  short  life,  to  "  the  rest  that  remaineth 
for  the  people  of  God." 

Nor  is  this  all.  God  not  unfrequently  makes  his 
people  suffer,  not  for  their  own  sakes  only,  but  for 
others'  sakes.  And  it  is  well  when  he  does  this.  Job 
was  a  great  sufferer,  and  so  was  Paul ;  but  the  narrative 
of  their  sufferings,  and  of  their  spirit  under  God's  deal- 
ings wdth  them,  has  made  thousands  holier  and  happier 
than  they  v\^ould  have  been,  had  these  holy  men  never 
have  been  such  sufferers.  "  None  of  us  liveth  to  him- 
self, and  none  of  us  dieth  to  himself ^  It  matters  little 
what  we  enjoy,  or  suffer,  in  the  present  world,  if  we 
thereby  best  promote  the  mutual  and  collective  benefit 
of  our  fellow- men,  advance  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the 
earth,  promote  the  enlargement,  stability,  and  purity  of 
his  cause,  and  glorify  his  great  name.  All  good  men 
form  a  part  of  that  kingdom  ;  if  that  kingdom  prospers, 
and  prospers  the  more  through  their  toil,  and  self-denial, 
and  suffering ;  not  only  is  it  well,  but  it  is  better  for 
them  themselves,  than  though  they  had  nev^r  thus 
toiled  and  suffered.  When  the  saints  of  God  reach 
their  Father's  house,  and  are  with  Christ  in  heaven,  and 
there  see  that,  through  those  very  dispensations  of 
which  they  complained  on  earth,  others  have  been 
brought  to  those  "  many  mansions,"  and  they  them- 
selves are  compensated  a  thousand  fold  for  all  their 
sufferings  ;  how  will  they  wonder  at  their  short-sighted- 
ness, in  not  having  seen  beforehand  that  it  was  all  for 
the  best ! 


ALL  IS  WELL. 


121 


God  always  makes  the  means  he  uses  answer  the 
ends  he  intends  they  shall  answer.  He  means  well  by 
everything  he  does  ;  and  he  does  well  because  he  never 
fails  to  accomplisli  the  end  he  has  in  view.  He  does 
not  now  tell  us  all  the  reasons  for  all  that  he  does ;  but 
they  are  wise  and  good  reasons,  and  though  we  may  not 
know  them  now,  we  shall  know  them  hereafter.  He 
does  ceil  things  well ; — prosperous  and  adverse,  small 
and  great,  everywhere  and  always.  Single  events,  and 
those  which,  when  isolated  and  taken  apart,  are  gloomy 
and  distressing,  collectively  and  in  their  final  issues,  are 
full  of  light  and  joy. 

Thus  much  for  the  explanation  of  the  truth,  that  he 
hath  done  all  things  well. 

II.  Let  us  turn  our  attention,  in  the  second  place,  to 
the  proof  of  it.  Our  proof  shall  be  confined  to  the  fol- 
lowing considerations : — 

1.  In  the  first  place,  let  us  look  at  the  perfection  of 
the  Divine  goodness.  "  God  is  good,  and  he  does  good." 
''  He  is  good  unto  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are  over 
all  his  works."  There  is  not  one  malignant  or  evil 
affection  in  his  nature.  There  is  not  one  emotion  even 
of  cold  indifference.  '*  God  is  love ;"  in  all  its  purity, 
in  all  its  expansiveness,  in  all  its  ardor  and  intensity, 
God  is  love.  His  goodness  shines  forth  in  the  heavens, 
is  showered  down  from  the  clouds,  and  overlays  the 
earth  and  sea.  It  stoops  to  guilty  man,  and  visits  him 
with  one  continued  flow  of  blessings.  Like  the  sun  in 
the  heavens,  his  goodness  everywhere  sheds  its  benign 
influence  to  warm  and  animate,  and  make  the  earth  on 
which  we  tread  glow  with  its  sacred  fires. 

He  who  sent  his  Son  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which 
was  lost,  must  be  a  great  and  good  Being.     No  man 

6 


X22  ALL  IS   WELL. 

can  go  and  stand  by  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  doubt 
God's  goodness.  No  Christian  man  can  think  of  that 
love  which,  when  he  was  an  enemy,  reconciled  him  to 
God  by  the  death  of  his  Son,  and  then  question  his 
goodness.  Look  where  he  will,  he  sees  evidence  of  it. 
Go  where  he  will, — to  the  Bible,  to  the  throne  of  grace, 
to  the  world,  to  scenes  of  joy  or  woe,  among  enemies, 
or  among  friends,  and  he  sees,  he  feels  that  God  is  good. 
If  there  is  a  truth  in  the  Bible,  in  relation  to  which  it 
were  impiety  to  cherish  a  doubt,  it  is  the  truth  that  God 
is  good.  We  cannot  think  of  God,  except  as  a  Being 
of  perfect  and  infinite  goodness.  We  can  form  no 
other  idea  of  him ;  the  human  mind  starts  back  with 
horror  at  any  other  suggestion;  we  never  speak  of 
him,  we  cannot  speak  of  him  otherwise  than  as  good. 
We  admire  his  goodness ;  we  adore,  we  praise  it. 
Those  surely  know  little  of  God,  who  may  be  tempted 
to  think  that  he  is  not  good  enough  to  do  all  things  well. 

The  proof  of  this  truth  is  derived, 

2.  In  the  second  place,  from  the  perfection  of  the 
Divine  knowledge.  He  is  not  only  good  enough  to  do 
all  things  well,  but  he  knows  how  to  do  this.  We  do 
not  know,  nor  see  how  it  can  be  done.  Our  fellow- 
men,  even  the  wisest  of  them,  do  not  know.  Angels 
in  heaven  do  not  know.  If  it  were  put  to  the  greatest 
and  wisest  of  all  created  beings  to  control  and  direct 
any  one  event,  so  as  to  secure  the  best  and  happiest 
results,  he  would  confess  his  ignorance.  Much  less 
would  he  know  how  to  do  all  tlmigs  well. 

But  God  knows.  His  understanding  is  infinite ;  he 
comprehends  all  creatures  and  events  at  one  intuitive 
view ;  he  knows  what  is  best  to  be  done  in  every  pos- 
sible circumstance  and  exigency.    He  feels  no  difficulty, 


ALL  IS  WELL.  I33 

<^ 
he  has  no  embarrassment,  no  doubt,  or  hesitation.  No- 
thing takes  him  by  surprise,  but  he  "  is  wonderful  in 
counsel,"  and  "  taketh  the  wise  in  their  own  craftiness." 
It  was  his  wisdom  that  sent  Joseph  into  Egypt,  and  Is- 
rael into  Babylon ;  that  presided  over  the  councils  of 
Herod  and  Pontius  Pilate,  when  they  w^ere  assembled 
"  to  do  what  his  hand  and  counsel  determined  before 
to  be  done.'*  These  were  fearful  and  wicked  events, 
and  men  '*  meant  them  for  evil."  But  God  "  meant  them 
for  good."  He  knows  what  is  best  to  be  done,  and  how 
to  conduct  all  the  affairs  of  his  government  so  as  to  do 
all  things  well. 

We  prove  this  truth, 

3.  In  the  third  place,  from  the  perfection  of  the  Di- 
vine power.  There  is  no  restraint  upon  his  power,  but 
he  is  able  to  do  all  things  well.  There  is  no  instance 
in  which  he  cannot  do  this.  A  failure  in  his  power 
were  the  most  disastrous  intelligence  that  could  be  an- 
nounced. We  cannot  conceive  of  his  power  faiUng  in 
one  instance,  without  fearing  that  it  may  prove  incom- 
petent in  a  thousand  instances,  and  those  which  form 
the  most  important  crises  in  his  government,  and  the 
welfare  of  his  creatures. 

But  there  is  no  failure.  "  Power  belongeth  unto 
God;"  it  is  his  high  prerogative;  and  that,  without 
which,  he  is  no  longer  God.  "None  can  stay  his 
hand."  He  is  "  the  Almighty  God."  He  is  "  wise  in 
heart  and  mighty  in  strength  :  and  none  can  say  unto 
him,  What  doest  thou  ?"  The  elements,  the  times,  the 
seasons,  the  winds,  the  waters,  the  occurrences  of  every 
day  and  hour,  the  history  of  the  rich  and  the  poor,  of 
monarchs  and  their  subjects,  of  the  church  and  the 
world,  of  the  living  and  the  dead,  all  proclaim  the  re- 


124  ALL  IS   WELL. 

sistless  energy  of  his  power.  The  views,  the  hearts, 
the  conduct  of  men,  of  angels,  and  even  of  devils  pro- 
claim it. 

Great  events  are  often  brought  about  by  little  causes. 
It  is  a  beautiful  view  of  God's  power,  which  sees  it  thus 
controlling  the  minute,  as  well  as  the  vast,  so  that  no 
link  in  the  chain  may  be  broken,  or  out  of  its  place, 
and  no  wheel  in  the  complicated  machinery  may  move 
either  faster  or  slower,  nor  receive  any  other  direction 
than  that  which  he  gives  it.  The  manna  and  the  quails 
in  the  desert — the  water  from  the  rock  in  Horeb — the 
ravens  that  fed  Elijah — the  widow's  cruse  of  oil — the 
worms  that  fed  upon  the  living  flesh  of  Herod — the 
sparrows  on  the  house-top — the  hairs  of  our  head — the 
lot  that  is  cast  into  the  lap — all  bear  testimony  to  his 
uncontrollable  and  absolute  power  over  all  things,  and 
show  that  he  is  able  to  do  all  things  well.  If  God,  then, 
is  good  enough  to  do  all  things  well ;  and  if  he  has  the 
knowledge  and  the  power  so  to  do ;  we  may  be  confi- 
dent that  his  work  is  perfect. 

But  we  prove  this  truth, 

4.  In  the  fourth  place,  from  Ms  own  declarations. 
It  is  a  great  and  important  truth  to  be  taught  and  be- 
lieved ;  and  therefore  he  has  solemnly  asserted  it  in  his 
word.  In  the  Bible  we  find  declarations  like  the  fol- 
lowing:-"He  is  a  Rock;  his  work  is  perfect."  "O 
Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works !  in  wisdom  hast 
thou  made  them  all."  "  I  know  that  whatsoever  God 
doeth,  it  shall  be  forever ;  nothing  can  be  put  to  it,  nor 
anything  taken  from  it;  and  God  doeth  it  that  men 
might  fear  before  him."  "  He  is  wonderful  in  counsel, 
and  excellent  in  working."  "  In  whom  are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge."     "  All   things 


ALL   IS  WELL.  125 

work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God,  and  are 
the  called  according  to  his  purpose." 

It  is  enough  that  God  himself  makes  these  assertions. 
And  there  is  a  multitude  of,  others  like  them.  We  have 
no  stronger  evidence  than  his  word.  "  Hath  he  spoken, 
and  shall  he  not  make  it  good  ?" 

Though  further  proof  is  needless,  this  truth  may  be 
proved, 

5.  In  the  fifth  place,  hj  facts  and  experience.  The 
darkest  events  in  the  world  have  actually  turned  out 
for  good.  Many  a  time  have  men  acknowledged  this, 
and  given  glory  to  God.  They  have  triumphed  in  that 
which  once  covered  them  with  mourning,  and  many  a 
time  have  been  constrained  to  say  with  joy,  "  Dominion 
is  with  him  !" — "  The  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth, 
and  let  the  earth  rejoice  !" — "  To  the  only  wise  God, 
our  Saviour,  be  glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power, 
both  now  and  forever  !"  The  private  history  of  indi- 
viduals and  the  general  history  of  the  world,  are  every- 
where expressive  of  this  great  truth.  There  is  nothing 
which  the  history  of  nations  brings  out  more  clearly, 
than  the  wisdom  of  God  in  overruling  the  darkest  and 
most  untoward  events,  and  turning  them  to  good  and 
valuable  account.  God  makes  even  the  wrath  of  man 
praise  him.  When  we  read  the  history  of  the  Jews, 
of  the  Assyrians,  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  of  the 
Northern  tribes  of  Europe,  of  the  modern  nations  of 
the  earth,  not  excluding  our  own  ;  we  cannot  fail  to 
remark  how  wonderfully  the  goodness,  wisdom,  and 
power  of  Almighty  God  are  there  disclosed,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  accomplishing  his  own  most  wise  and  right- 
eous, and  benevolent  designs.  Two  mighty  and  antag- 
are  seen  in  the  history  of  our  world — the 


126  ALL   LS   WELL. 

principle  of  light  and  the  principle  of  darkness — a  good 
principle  and  an  evil — God  and  the  great  Adversary — 
God  and  the  proud  and  wicked  heart  of  man  ;  and  though 
it  sometimes  seems  as  though  the  evil  was  dominant, 
yet  a  thoughtful  mind  will  see  that  God  is  on  the  throne, 
and  that  even  the  wickedest  of  the  wicked  are  but  the 
saw  and  the  hammer  in  the  hands  of  this  great  Master 
Builder  of  the  spiritual  temple. 

So  it  has  been  in  every  age.  So  it  is  now.  And 
has  it  not  been  so  with  you  ?  Does  not  your  own  ex- 
perience, up  to  the  present  hour,  show  that  "he  hath 
done  all  things  well  ?"  Has  not  what  has  seemed  to 
you  as  evil,  resulted  in  good  ;  and  what  you  thought  a 
trial,  turned  out  to  be  a  blessing  in  disguise  ?  Have 
not  the  most  painful  providences,  and  the  bitterest  cup, 
been  the  means  of  humbling  you,  and  making  you  feel 
your  own  weakness  ;  of  making  you  distrust  yourselves 
and  trust  in  the  living  God  ?  Every  Christian  can  say, 
I  have  often  complained  of  God's  dealings  with  me  ;  but 
they  have  drawn  me  to  my  Saviour ;  they  have  led  me 
to  appreciate  his  grace  and  faithfulness ;  and  by  a  new 
and  sweet  experience  of  his  love,  with  a  more  child-like 
simplicity,  they  have  taught  me  to  lean  on  his  almighty 
arm !  What  good  man,  save  the  sins  he  has  commit- 
ted, if  he  has  a  just  view  of  things,  would  alter  a  single 
event  in  his  past  history  ?  And  even  his  sins  have 
been,  or  will  be,  overruled  for  God's  glory. 

Most  devoutly  is  it  to  be  wished,  that  this  truth,  that 
God  does  all  things  well,  were  more  generally  and  more 
deeply  felt.  O  how  it  would  tranquillize  our  fears,  give 
quietness  and  joy  to  our  submission,  vigor  to  our  hopes, 
and  light  up  our  dark  dungeon  !  How  sweet  to  feel  it 
amid  the  stormy  voyage  of  life,  and  on  its  angry  ocean, 


ALL  IS   WELL.  127 

where  he  hfteth  up  the  waves,  and  then  says  to  them, 
"  Peace,  be  still !"  How  much  happier  should  we  be, 
if  we  could  but  learn  to  go  out  from  ourselves,  and  out 
from  this  poor  world,  for  the  sources  of  our  peace  and 
joy  !  It  is  a  portion  above  the  heritage  of  the  noble 
and  the  mighty,  to  be  able  to  say,  My  all  is  in  the  hands 
of  God,  who  knows  all,  who  can  do  all,  and  who  will 
make  all  things  work  together  for  my  good. 

Why  should  the  care  and  faithfulness  of  your  Heav- 
enly Father  ever  be  distrusted  ?  Why  not  stay  your- 
selves upon  him,  "casting  all  your  care  upon  him, 
knowing  that  he  careth  for  you?"  Why  not  say, 
"  The  Lord  is  my  helper,  I  will  not  fear  what  man  can 
do  unto  me !"  The  Lord  God  "  is  a  sun  and  shield, 
he  wall  give  grace  and  glory,  and  no  good  thing  will  he 
withhold  from  them  that  walk  uprightly." 

Ye  who  are  strangers  to  the  living  God,  "  acquaint 
yourselves  now  with  him,  and  be  at  peace;  thereby 
good  shall  come  unto  you."  Go  to  him  ;  go  to  him  as 
unworthy  sinners;  go  to  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  his  Son  ;  and  unworthy  as  you  are,  make  the 
God  of  heaven  your  friend.  "  Delight  thyself  in  the 
Lord,  and  he  will  give  thee  the  desires  of  thy  heart." 
It  is  not  the  greatest  evil  that  can  come  upon  you,  to 
have  your  earthly  expectations  defeated.  With  a 
heart  trusting  in  God,  this  you  can  endure  without  a 
sigh.  You  may  lose  everything  which  the  world  can 
give ;  yet  all  may  be  well.  No  :  the  greatest  evil  that 
can  come  upon  us  is,  to  lose  the  divine  favor ;  to  neg- 
lect the  great  salvation ;  to  live  and  die  without  God 
and  without  hope.  This  salvation  accepted  and  en- 
joyed, you  are  safe.  You  are  happy,  "  blow  high  or 
blow  low."     You  are  happy,  come  what  will.     You 


128  ALL   IS   WELL. 

will  be  tranquil  in  the  midst  of  danger,  and  calm  amid 
the  storm.  When  that  dark  and  fearful  hour  of  death 
shall  come,  in  which  no  earthly  voice  can  whisper 
peace  to  you,  a  voice  from  heaven  shall  whisper  to  you 
and  say,  All  is  ivell!  And  the  sweet  response  of  a 
still,  small  voice  from  within  your  own  placid  bosom, 
shall  say,  All  is  well !  And  when  this  corruption  shall 
put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mortal  immortality ;  when 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  his  glory  and  all  the  holy 
angels  with  him,  and  all  the  tears  which  life  has  shed 
shall  be  wiped  away ;  the  blessed  announcement  shall 
be  renewed,  confirmed,  and  perpetuated,  All  is  well  ! 
And  to  the  Triune  God  be  praise  forever.     Amen. 


SERMON   XII. 

REMEMBRANCE   OF   SIN. 

EzEKEiL  xvi.  63.  That  thou  mayest  remember,  and  be  confounded,  and 
never  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because  of  thy  shame,  when  I  am 
pacified  toward  thee  for  all  that  thou  hast  done. 

Among  the  various  points  of  difference  between  good 
men  and  bad,  none  is  more  clearly  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  none  more  observable  in  Christian  ex- 
perience, than  that  a  good  man  remembers  his  sinful- 
ness, and  a  bad  man  forgets  it.  Wicked  men  may, 
from  time  to  time,  have  severe  compunctions  of  con- 
science ;  there  may  be  periods  in  their  history,  and 
events  in  the  providence  of  God,  which  fill  them  with 
alarm ;  but  these  terrors  are  occasional,  and  their  sense 
of  sin  soon  passes  aw^ay.  They  try  to  forget  it,  and  do 
forget  it.  Though  the  day  is  coming  when  the  remem- 
brance of  it  w^ill  be  revived  and  imbittered,  for  the 
most  part,  they  are  too  successful  in  their  efforts  to  ob- 
literate all  such  impressions.  It  is  not  so  with  a  good 
man.  He  never  lives  in  this  state  of  spiritual  death. 
Day  after  day,  week  after  w^eek,  month  after  month, 
year  after  year,  do  not  pass  away,  and  find  him  dead, 
torpid,  and  senseless.  Not  only  is  it  impossible  for  him 
to  live  at  ease  in  present  sin,  but  it  is  impossible  for  him 
to  live  without  frequently  calling  to  mind  the  sins  that 
are  past.  Men  who  do  not  feel,  and  act  thus,  give  no 
evidence  that  they  are  good  men ;  but,  on  the  other 

6* 


130  REMEMBRANCE  OF  SIN. 

hand,  evidence  that  ought  to  be  starthng  to  their  own 
hopes,  that  they  are  in  the  gall  of  bitterness  and  bonds 
of  iniquity.  A  good  man  may  have  strong  and  pre- 
cious hopes  that  his  sins  are  pardoned ;  but  his  inward 
peace,  so  far  from  destroying,  or  diminishing  his  sense 
of  his  own  sinfulness,  is  but  a  new  incentive  to  remem- 
ber it,  and  "  be  confounded,  and  never  open  his  mouth 
any  more  because  of  his  shame,  when  God  is  pacified 
toward  him  for  all  that  he  has  done."  It  falls  in  with 
all  the  feelings  of  his  renewed  nature  to  feel  thus.  His 
hope  in  the  divine  mercy  does  not  make  him  thought- 
less ;  it  does  not  lead  him  to  forget  what  is  past,  nor 
ever  dismiss  the  remembrance  of  his  great  sinfulness. 
In  illustrating  these  general  thoughts,  I  observe, 

I.  In  the  first  place,  Good  men  are  incited  to  the  re- 
membrance of  sin  by  their  love  of  God. 

It  is  characteristic  of  a  good  man,  that  he  does 
not  "  live  without  God  in  the  world."  God  is  much 
in  his  thoughts,  and  has  the  first  place  in  his  heart. 
"  My  meditation  of  him,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  shall  be 
sweet;  I  will  be  glad  in  the  Lord."  Elsewhere  he 
says,  "My  soul  shall  be  satisfied  with  marrow  and 
fatness ;  my  mouth  shall  praise  thee  with  joyful  lips, 
when  I  remember  thee  upon  my  bed,  when  I  meditate 
on  thee  in  the  night-watches."  The  remembrance 
of  God  is  very  apt  to  bring  with  it  the  remembrance  of 
sin.  The  mind  even  of  a  wicked  man  could  not  long 
be  fixed  upon  God  without  being  perplexed  and  embar- 
rassed by  the  thought  of  his  own  sinfulness.  Much 
more  does  a  devout  mind  feel  this.  "  I  have  heard  of 
thee,  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear,"  exclaimed  Job,  "but 
now  mine  eye  seeth  thee ;  wherefore,  I  abhor  myself, 
and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes."     He  is  the  One  we  have 


REMEMBRANCE  OF  SIN.  131 

lightly  esteemed ;  the  forgotten,  dishonored,  and  injured 
One,  who,  because  he  is  "  pacified  toward  us,"  is  the 
more  worthy  of  unoffending,  unsinning  love.  His 
goodness  leaves  us  without  excuse,  and  makes  our  sins 
appear  exceeding  sinful.  And  it  is  just  in  this  light, 
that  good  men  wish  and  seek  to  view  them.  The 
clearer  their  conceptions  of  God,  the  more  impressive 
is  their  remembrance  of  their  own  sinful,  guilty,  and 
odious  conduct.  Men  make  light  of  sin,  only  when 
they  make  light  of  God.  They  have  low  and  mean 
thoughts  of  sin,  only  when  they  have  low  and  mean 
thoughts  of  God.  They  forget  sin,  only  when,  like  an 
atheistic  world,  they  utterly  forget  God. 

II.  Good  men  are  induced  to  the  remembrance  of 
sin,  in  the  second  place,  by  their  attachment  to  the  gov- 
ernrnent  and  law  which  God  has  established. 

It  is  characteristic  of  a  good  man,  that  he  is  2i  friend 
to  the  divine  government  and  law.  He  feels  himself  to 
be  the  subject  of  the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords  ; 
whose  supremacy  gives  him  the  throne,  and  who  lives 
and  reigns  "  God  over  all  blessed  for  evermore."  Good 
men  on  the  earth  have,  in  every  age,  been  distinguished 
for  their  attachment  to  the  rightful  authority  of  their 
divine  Prince.  The  power,  the  grandeur,  the  riches 
of  their  great  Sovereign  ;  his  glories,  his  favor,  his  re- 
sistless and  universal  dominion,  have  ever  been  the 
source  of  heartfelt  gratulation  and  delight  to  those  who 
have  ceased  to  be  rebels,  and  become  loyal  subjects. 
"O  how  love  I  thy  law!"  says  the  devout  Psalmist. 
And  again  he  says,  "  The  Lord  God  Omnipotent  reign- 
eth,  let  the  earth  rejoice  !"  These,  and  thoughts  like 
these,  often  dwell  upon  the  lips  of  the  children  of  God. 
And  they  are  thoughts  in  their  own  nature  adapted  to 


132  REMEMBRANCE  OF  SIN. 

bring  with  them  the  remembrance  of  their  own  sinful- 
ness. "  By  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin."  "  Sin  is 
the  transgression  of  the  law."  ''  Sin,  by  the  command- 
ment, becomes  exceedingly  sinful."  To  require  what 
is  right,  and  forbid  what  is  wrong,  in  deed,  word, 
thought,  and  on  pains  and  penalties  which  interminable 
ages  show  are  commensurate  with  the  transgressor's 
ill  desert,  is  that  which  every  good  man  knows  the 
Deity  must  do,  or  be  undeified,  and  no  longer  God. 
Wherever  sin  exists,  therefore,  it  is  the  same  odious 
and  ill-deserving  thing.  It  is  transgression  of  the  law ; 
it  is  the  curse  of  the  universe ;  it  is  the  abhorrence  of 
the  divine  mind.  It  is  not  less  hateful,  nor  less  hated 
of  God,  in  any  man,  because  he  is  a  Christian ;  but  rather 
more  hateful,  and  more  hated.  Nor  is  his  vivid  and 
keen  remembrance  of  his  -iniquity  at  all  abated,  by 
the  hope  that  the  Holy  Lawgiver  is  pacified  toward 
such  a  sinner  as  himself.  How  can  it  be,  in  view 
of  that  law  which  he  has  so  dishonored,  and  which 
his  Saviour  has  so  magnified  and  made  honorable  ? 
Never  can  he  lose  sight  of  the  criminality  and  turpi- 
tude of  his  transgressions,  and  never  can  they  cease  to 
be  burdensome  and,  loathsome.  Just  as  natural  objects 
appear  differently  by  the  light  in  which  they  are  seen, 
are  the  sins  of  men  exhibited  in  true  light  by  the  law 
of  God.  Though  committed  in  bygone  years,  they  no 
longer  appear  at  a  distance ;  and  though  they  once 
seemed  small,  they  are  now  exhibited  in  truer  magni- 
tude. The  heart  bleeds  at  such  a  retrospect.  Memory 
sinks  the  sin  deep.  And  though  atoning  blood  may 
give  peace,  it  obliterates  not  the  remembrance  of  the 
sin. 


REMEMBRANCE  OP  SIN.  I33 

III.  Good  men  are  induced  to  the  remembrance  of  sin, 
in  the  third  place,  hy  thew  love  of  the  Divine  Saviour. 

It  is  characteristic  of  every  good  man,  that  he  is  a 
sincere  lover  of  Christ  and  his  GospeL  His  love  of  Christ 
is  his  ruHng  passion.  He  has  forsaken  all  for  Christ. 
He  has  cheerfully  renounced  every  opposing  and  rival 
claim,  and  taken  up  his  cross,  that  he  might  follow 
Christ.  If  not  his  earliest,  Christ  now  has  his  first  and 
best,  love.  There  are  no  attachments  he  cannot  re- 
nounce for  the  sake  of  Christ ;  no  wealth  which  he 
cannot  relinquish  for  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ ; 
no  honors  he  cannot  forego  for  the  honor  which  cometh 
from  God  only  ;  no  power  he  cannot  disclaim  in  order 
to  live  for  Christ,  and  reign  with  him  ;  no  knowledge 
he  does  not  count  as  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  his  Lord.  His  presence  is 
his  highest  joy  ;  his  Gospel  th'e^  theme  of  his  wondrous 
thoughts  and  admiring  praise  ;  his  blood,  is  his  purity  and 
peace  ;  his  righteousness,  his  title  to  the  heavenly  in- 
heritance. And  therefore  it  is,  that  such  a  man  re- 
members his  iniquities,  even  when  others  forget  them. 
His  fondest  love  of  Christ,  and  his  most  unclouded 
hopes,  are  immingled  with  many  a  bitter  and  touching 
recollection  of  his  own  vileness.  Pardoned  as  he  is, 
he  feels  deeply  and  tenderly  what  it  is  to  be  a  pardoned 
sinner.  The  thought  is  often  present  to  his  mind,  at 
what  an  amazing  sacrifice  this  immunity  was  pro- 
cured ;  by  whose  sorrows^  he  is  happy  ;  by  whose  tears, 
he  smiles  ;  by  whose  death,  he  lives  ;  by  whose  cross, 
he  expects  to  reign.  The  vain  fancy  has  fled,  that 
there  is  some  reason  in  himself  why  he  should  be  the 
object  of  the  divine  favor.  All  that  he  hopes  for  is  in 
defiance  of  his  own  unworthiness  and  ill  desert.     The 


134  REMEMBRANCE  OF  SIN. 

very  thought  that  "  God  is  pacified  toward  him  for  all 
that  he  has  done,"  leads  him  to  remember  what  a  sin- 
ner he  has  been,  and  to  be  confounded,  and  never  open 
his  mouth  any  more  because  of  his  shame.  A  memory 
at  peace  with  God  is  not  a  faithless  memory ;  nor  is  a 
conscience  pacified  by  the  blood  of  sprinkling  an  un- 
feeling conscience.  The  Saviour  forgives,  but  the 
forgiven  does  not  forget  his  sins.  That  look  of  tender- 
ness on  Peter  made  him  "  go  out  and  weep  bitterly." 
That  thrice  repeated  question,  "  Simon,  son  of  Jonas, 
lovest  thou  me  ?"  opened  all  the  sources  of  penitential 
recollection  afresh.  Christian  love  does  not  soon  for- 
get the  injuries  sin  has  done.  It  were  a  dreadful  per- 
versity of  moral  feeling,  to  be  forgetful  of  sin  because  it 
is  forgiven.  Good  men  have  a  deeper  sense  of  their  sins 
after  they  are  pardoned  than  before,  and  a  more  faith- 
ful remembrance  of  them.  Pardon  is  precious,  but  it 
is  the  means  to  a  greater  and  more  important  end. 
God  forgives  sin,  that  the  grace  expressed  in  forgive- 
ness may  produce  that  grateful  love,  which,  w^hile  it 
remembers  transgression,  remembers  only  to  forsake 
it  How  little  do  they  understand  of  the  Gospel, — of 
the  revelation  of  the  redeeming  love  of  God, — of  the 
tidings  of  mercy  to  sinners  through  a  divine  Mediator, 
who  impute  to  it  a  tendency  to  lead  the  pardoned  sin- 
ner to  forget  his  sins.     But, 

IV.  In  the  fourth  place,  good  men  are  led  to  the  re- 
membrance of  sin  by  an  enlightened  and  tender  conscience. 

It  is  characteristic  of  every  Christian,  that  he  has  an 
enlightened  and,  tender  conscience.  He  is  not  merely 
an  alarmed  and  awakened  sinner,  but  the  subject  of 
ingenuous  conviction.  Nor  is  his  conviction  dimin- 
ished because  he  is  a  Christian,  but  the  rather  increased  ; 


REMEMBRANCE  OF  SIN.  I35 

nor  is  it  a  transient  and  passing  emotion,  but  one  that 
remains.  The  convictions  of  conscience  in  an  unre- 
newed man,  are  occasional ;  in  a  man  who  is  born  of 
God,  they  are  habitual.  The  former  are  partial ;  the 
latter  are  universal,  and  extend  to  every  form  and  de- 
gree of  sin.  In  an  unrenewed  man  they  are  the  effect 
of  fear  merely ;  in  the  heart  that  is  renewed,  they  are 
the  effect  of  love.  The  consciences  of  wicked  men 
know  nothing  of  the  high  principles,  the  elevated  mo- 
tives, which  give  rise  to  that  conviction  for  sin  which 
exists  in  the  bosom  of  the  true  Christian.  The  very 
relief  which  the  conscience  of  a  good  man  finds  in 
confessing  and  forsaking  his  sins,  and  in  a  believing 
application  to  the  blood  of  Christ,  makes  his  conscience 
more  tender  and  faithful.  He  does  not  inquire  what 
is  the  lowest  measure  of  grace  to  evince  that  he  is  a 
child  of  God ;  nor  what,  and  how  many  sins  he  may 
commit,  and  yet  be  saved  at  last.  He  does  not  ask 
how  sin  may  be  sheltered  and  screened,  but  how  it 
may  be  detected ;  nor  does  he  seek  to  know  how  far  it 
may  be  indulged,  but  how  it  may  be  mortified.  And 
for  the  same  reason,  he  does  not  seek  to  forget,  but 
rather  to  remember  it ;  and  just  in  the  degree  in  which 
his  conscience  becomes  enlightened  and  tender.  He 
welcomes  all  its  reproaches,  nor  does  he  the  less  wil- 
lingly call  his  sins  to  remembrance,  that  they  fill  him 
with  self-loathing  and  self-condemnation.  It  is  one  of 
the  privileges  of  his  adoption,  that  God  will  not  allow 
the  conscience  of  such  a  man  to  become  seared  and 
hardened ;  but  keeps  it  alive  to  search  out,  and  mark 
down,  and  remember  his  wickedness.  Nor  does  he 
restrain  his  conscience  in  her  scrutinizing  survey  ;  but 
bids  her  remind  him  of  all  that  he  has  done.     Nor  does 


136  REMEMBRANCE  OP  SIN. 

she  perform  her  work  deceitfully ;  but  calls  to  his  re- 
membrance all  the  aggravating  circumstances  of  time, 
place,  manner,  rejected  admonition  and  entreaty,  the 
complicated  character  of  his  transgressions,  the  object 
at  which  he  was  aiming,  the  light  he  resisted,  the  in- 
fluence he  jeoparded,  and  the  earnest  dispensation  of 
the  Gospel  he  enjoyed.  Nor  does  he  stifle  her  voice, 
nor  soften  the  severity  of  her  censures,  nor  bribe  her 
to  judge  him  with  lenity.  His  prayer  to  God  has  often 
been,  "  Make  me  to  know  my  transgression  and  my  sin  ;" 
and  he  who  heareth  prayer  commissions  conscience 
to  make  the  mournful  disclosure,  that  his  people  may 
remember  and  be  confounded,  and  never  open  their 
"  mouth  any  more,  because  of  their  shame,  when  he  is 
pacified  toward  them  for  all  that  they  have  done."  I 
remark, 

V.  In  the  fifth  place,  There  are  great  advantages  in 
this  rememhrance  of  sin. 

It  is  a  most  humbhng  view  of  the  human  charac- 
ter which  is  brought  t^  the  mind  of  every  Christian, 
in  the  remembrance  of  his  past  sins.  The  child  of 
God  has  no  sympathy  with  those  who  exalt  the  de- 
praved character  of  man.  In  the  humbling  remem- 
brance of  his  own  wickedness,  he  has  evidence  that 
the  human  heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things  and  des- 
perately wicked.  He  sees  that  his  own  history  is  but 
the  counterpart  of  those  descriptions  of  human  apos- 
tasy, which  are  given  in  God's  word.  Nor  do  these 
reminiscences  obscure  the  light  of  his  hopes,  and  lead 
him  to  despondency.  He  is  not  alone  in  them ;  but 
they  are  the  common  recollections  of  all  the  people  of 
God.  He  would  not  be  a  Christian,  if  he  did  not  feel 
that  he  had  much  to  remember  that  needed  to  be  for- 


REMEMBRANCE  OF   SIN.  137 

given.  The  fact  that  he  thus  remembers  his  wicked- 
ness, is  to  be  attributed  to  the  existence  of  those  gra- 
cious affections  which  never  have  a  place  in  the  soul 
without  many  a  confession  of  what  is  past.  The  Ad- 
versary may  perplex  his  mind,  disturb  his  peace,  weak- 
en his  hands,  and  discourage  his  heart,  and  plunge  him 
for  a  little  season  in  darkness  and  despondency,  by  such 
a  retrospect ;  but  he  is  not  ignorant  of  his  devices. 
The  more  Christian  men  look  within  their  own  hearts, 
and  look  back  upoM  their  own  history,  the  more  they 
see  the  wonderful  fitness  of  that  method  of  mercy 
which  Christ  has  revealed,  to  the  character  and  condi- 
tion of  just  such  sinners  as  they  are.  They  feel  that 
they  have  need  of  all  the  fulness  of  that  great  salvation, 
all  its  mercy,  all  its  grace,  and  all  the  efficacy  of  its 
atoning  blood.  And  they  never  have  stronger  impres- 
sions of  its  riches  and  gratuity,  and  of  the  hearty  wel- 
come with  which  it  greets  them,  than  in  this  humbling 
remembrance  of  their  own  vileness.  The  divine  mercy 
is  never  so  precious,  as  in  such  remembrances  as  these. 
And  it  is  a  happy  sign  of  reconciliation  to  God,  when 
the  reception  of  that  mercy  quickens  this  remembrance, 
and  your  own  humility  and  gratitude.  That  mercy 
fails  of  one  of  its  most  delightful  eftects,  if  it  does  not 
humble  you  and  lead  you  to  say,  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner!"  The  more  you  cherish  this  remem- 
brance, the  more  will  you  cherish  the  grateful  remem- 
brance of  God's  love.  The  more  will  you  trust  him  in 
view  of  all  that  is  past ;  and  the  more  will  you  con- 
tinue to  trust  in  him  in  time  to  come.  The  more  will 
you  love  and  obey  him,  and  the  more  will  you  glorify 
and  enjoy  him  forever. 

There  is  one  painful  remark  which  I  feel  constrained 


138  REMEMBRANCE   OP   SIN. 

to  make  in  the  conclusion  of  this  discourse.  And  it  is 
addressed  to  those  of  you,  beloved  hearers,  who  make 
light  of  sin.  Sin  is  that  which  no  being  in  the  universe 
can  make  light  of.  God  does  not  make  light  of  it.  The 
Saviour  could  not  make  light  of  it  when  he  bore  the 
heavy  burden,  not  his  own,  upon  the  cross.  Angels 
do  not  make  light  of  it.  The  devils  in  hell  cannot 
make  light  of  it,  but  groan  under  the  fearful  load  to  all 
eternity.  Good  men  cannot  make  light  of  it ;  but  think 
of  it  and  remember  it  with  deep  abasement  and  shame. 
And  you,  my  friends,  cannot  always  make  light  of  it, 
nor  always  forget  it.  The  time  will  come,  when  you 
will  remember  it  all.  God  grant,  that  it  may  not  be 
too  late  to  escape  from  the  awful  burden !  Memory 
will  not  always  be  thus  inactive.  Be  sure  your  sin 
will  find  you  out.  Conscience  will  not  always  be  thus 
torpid.  The  all-seeing  eye  has  ever  been  upon  you, 
and  is  upon  you  still.  Ten  thousand  times  ten  thou- 
sand are  the  witnesses  of  all  your  wickedness.  There 
is,  indeed,  no  need  of  witnesses.  You  yourselves  know 
all ;  and  you  yourselves  will  be  witnesses  of  all.  You 
cannot  escape  from  the  reproach  and  shame  of  sin, 
until  you  can  escape  from  yourselves.  Though  you 
climb  to  the  mountains,  dig  into  the  depths,  conscience 
will  be  there.  Fearful  remembrances  of  sin  and  ago- 
nizing rebukes  of  conscience  await  you,  even  though 
you  sleep  on  till  death  and  the  judgment.  And  still 
more  fearful  will  they  be,  when  from  that  judgment- 
seat  you  go  away  to  that  world,  where  the  worm  does 
not  die,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched. 

Nor  is  there  any  refuge  from  such  a  doom  save  one. 
As  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  has 
the  Son  of  Man  been  lifted  up.     This  is  the  remedy  for 


REMEMBRANCE  OF   SIN.  139 

the  conscience  stung  with  the  guiU  of  sin.  The  uni- 
verse knows  no  other.  Memory  is  soothed  in  her  rec- 
ollections, when  faith  looks  to  this  Lamb  of  God.  The 
heart  is  sprinkled  from  an  evil  conscience,  when  its 
penitence  flows  out  at  the  cross.  Its  wounds  are 
stanched,  and  its  anguish  is  relieved,  by  the  blood  of 
that  Great  Healer.  You  who  make  light  of  sin,  make 
light  of  this  mighty  remedy.  You  who  forget  sin,  for- 
get the  only  cure  and  relief  for  sin.  How  long,  thought- 
less and  forgetful  sinner,  how  long  wilt  thou  make  light 
of  them !  Mercy  yet  knocks,  calls,  pleads,  beseeches, 
and  waits.  Near  as  you  are  to  the  brink  of  destruc- 
tion, there  is  an  arm  that  can  draw  you  back ;  great 
as  is  your  danger,  there  is  a  hiding  place  that  can  shel- 
ter you.  O  escape  for  thy  life  !  Turn  ye  to  the  strong- 
hold, all  ye  who  are  as  yet  the  prisoners  of  hope. 


SERMON   XIII. 

RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE. 

Corinthians  ix.  24.     So  run  that  ye  may  obtain. 

It  is  not  every  man  who  seeks  to  enter  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  that  is  able.  The  first  step  is  not  always 
followed  out ;  and  the  pilgrim  steps  aside  into  some  by- 
path which  does  not  lead  to  the  Heavenly  City.  There 
will  be.  many  disappointments  in  the  day  when  Abra- 
ham, and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  all  the  Prophets,  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  children  of  the  king- 
dom are  cast  out. 

Nothing  is  more  important,  therefore,  than  the  most 
watchful  care  in  determining  what  the  course  is  we  are 
pursuing ;  Tind  whether  we  are  "  so  running,  that  we 
may  obtain."  "  Know  ye  not,  that  they  which  run  in 
a  race  run  all,  but  one  receiveth  the  prize  ?"  How, 
then,  shall  we  run  the  spiritual  race,  so  as  to  obtain  ? 
It  is  to  this  question  that  I  propose,  by  God's  assistance, 
to  give  answer  in  the  following  discourse.  In  endeav- 
oring to  do  this,  I  remark, 

I.  In  the  first  place.  So  to  run  that  he  may  obtain,  a 
man  must  be  in  the  right  way. 

Men  are  by  nature  in  the  "broad  way  that  leads 
to  death."  They  must  alter  their  course  ;  and  tJie  al- 
teration must  be  radical  and  thorough.  They  must 
have  new  principles,  new  aims  and  ends,  and  alto- 
gether  a   different  Guide   and   Leader.      No   matter 


RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE.  141 

how  engaged  a  man  is  in  running,  if  he  is  not  in  the 
right  way,  every  step  he  takes,  and  the  faster  he  runs, 
only  conducts  him  farther  from  the  prize.  The  man- 
slayer,  under  the  Mosaic  law,  was  directed  to  flee  to 
one  of  the  appointed  cities  of  refuge ;  and  if  he  failed 
of  reaching  it,  he  was  overtaken  by  the  avenger  of 
blood.  If,  through  ignorance,  or  inattention,  or  per- 
verseness,  he  happened  to  strike  upon  the  wrong  track, 
no  matter  how  diligently  he  ran,  he  was  sure  to  pay  the 
forfeiture  of  his  folly  with  his  blood.  "  There  is  a  way 
that  seemeth  right  to  a  man,  but  the  end  thereof  are  the 
ways  of  death."  The  more  confident  he  is  that  he  is 
in  the  right  way,  so  long  as  he  is  actually  in  the  wrong 
one,  the  greater  is  his  danger. 

If  we  look  into  the  Bible,  we  find  such  declarations 
as  the  following :  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  to  seek, 
and  to  save  that  which  was  lost."  "  This  is  the  re- 
cord, that  God  hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and  this 
life  is  in  his  Son."     "  I  am  the  way,  the'  truth,  and 

THE    LIFE  ;     NO    MAN    COMETH    UNTO      THE     FaTHER,    BUT 

BY  ME !"  These  declarations  are  an  epitome  of  the 
Gospel.  The  way  from  sin  to  holiness,  from  earth 
to  heaven,  is  the  great  redemption  effected  by  the 
Son  of  God.  To  unfallen  beings  there  is  another  way. 
They  are  entitled  to  the  divine  favor,  and  possess 
eternal  life,  by  their  own  spotless  obedience.  But  for 
fallen  man,  there  is  this  very  peculiar  way.  Justifi- 
cation by  the  deeds  of  law  is  now  no  longer  a  possible 
thing.  To  be  righteous,  now,  men  must  receive  a 
righteousness  which  is  not  their  own,  and  which  they 
themselves  can  never  work  out.  Deliverance  from  the 
curse  is  effected  by  the  payment  of  that  great  ransom, 
the  blood  of  the  Atoning  Lamb.     The  destroying  angel 


143  RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE. 

could  not  invade  the  dwellings  in  Egypt  that  had  the 
mark  of  blood.  The  ''  blood  of  sprinkling"  is  the  true 
index  of  this  "new  and  living  way."  The  innocent 
punished  for  the  guilty ;  his  obedience  unto  death,  im- 
puted by  God,  and  received  by  faith — -this  is  the  way, 
and  the  only  way,  to  holiness  and  heaven. 

11.  So  to  run  that  he  may  obtain,  it  is  necessary  for 
a  man  to  divest  himself  of  all  fatal  incumbrances. 

It  is  altogether  a  mistaken  notion,  that  if  a  man  has 
once  entered  the  right  way,  he  will  find  no  difficulties  in 
his  course,  and  no  obstacles,  which  will  require  all  his 
watchfulness  and  effort  to  surmount.  So  thought  the 
Israelites  when  they  first  triumphed  over  their  enemies, 
and  sat  down  upon  the  shores  of  the  Red  Sea  to  cele- 
brate their  triumphs.  But  the  wilderness  was  all  be- 
fore them  ;  nor  was  it  until  many  a  long  day,  and  many 
a  weary  march,  that  they  could  enter  the  promised 
land.  "  Let  not  him  that  girdeth  on  his  harness,  boast 
himself  as  he  that  putteth  it  off!"  There  are  many 
things  which  we  must  lay  aside,  if  we  would  be  suc- 
cessful in  the  Christian  race. 

Every  man  has  burdens ;  embarrassments  in  various 
forms,  that  burden  and  discourage  him  in  his  heavenly 
career.  There  are  also  besetting  sins  :  sins  to  which  we 
are  easily  and  frequently  tempted, — sins  for  which  we 
may  frequently  have  the  heart  and  the  opportunity, — 
sins  that  commend  themselves  to  our  calling,  our  associa- 
tions, or  our  constitutions — sins  that  meet  us  at  every 
turn,  and  which,  if  not  mortified  and  resisted,  will  keep 
us  from  the  crown.  Sin,  in  any  form,  depresses  and 
unhinges  the  mind,  and  alike  disqualifies  for  the  cheer- 
ful performance  of  duty,  and  a  cheerful  reliance  on  the 
Saviour.     No  man,  who  lives  any  considerable  time  in 


RUNNING  FOR  THE   PRIZE.  143 

this  world  after  his  conversion,  will  reach  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  without  arduous  labor,  and  many  self-deny- 
ing duties.  And  these  he  cannot  perform,  if  sin  reigns 
in  his  heart,  obscures  his  views,  sinks  his  hopes,  and 
cools  his  ardor. 

Other  things  too  there  are  w^hich  may  lead  him  to 
depart  from  God,  which  must  be  renounced,  as  incum- 
brances in  his  race.  He  may  be  ensnared  by  wealth ; 
and  the  love  of  gold  must  be  mortified.  He  may  be 
embarrassed  by  his  cares  of  houses,  and  lands,  and 
merchandise;  and  must  throw  these  corroding  cares 
aside.  Friends  and  companions  may  ensnare  him  ;  but 
he  must  press  on,  though  it  were  to  leave  all  for  Christ's 
sake  and  the  Gospel's.  Sometimes  he  will  meet  with 
those  who  try  to  reason  him  out  of  his  religion  ;  and 
then  those  who  try  to  laugh  him  out  of  it ;  and  then 
again,  some  who  love  and  respect  him,  and  secretly 
grieve  and  express  their  regrets  that  they  must  lose 
him  from  their  society.  Some  will  call  him  formalist, 
and  hypocrite  ;  and  he  himself  will  fear  and  tremble 
lest  it  should  prove  too  true.  But  he  must  not  be  in- 
fluenced by  these  things,  except  to  turn  them  to  good 
account  in  hastening  him  on  his  course.  It  is  an 
arduous  race ;  but  it  is  a  career  too  full  of  hope  and 
promise,  not  to  lead  him  to  lay  aside-  every  weight  in 
order  to  win  the  prize.  The  men  of  the  world  run  for 
a  corruptible  crown — for  the  olive,  or  the  laurel,  that 
wither  as  soon  as  they  are  separated  from  their  parent 
stock,  or  plucked  out  of  the  earth ;  the  Christian  for 
an  incorruptible — for  the  heavenly  inheritance,  for  the 
honor  that  cometh  from  God  only. 

III.  So  to  run  that  he  may  obtain,  it  is  necessary  to 
jjer severe  to  the  last. 


144  RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE. 

There  are  those  who  "  put  their  hand  to  the  plough, 
and  look  back."  They  are  discouraged  by  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  race,  and  impatient  of  its  toil.  They 
had  early  impressions  of  serious  things,  and  lost  them. 
They  were  religiously  inclined  when  young,  but  grad- 
ually threw  off  their  religious  inclinations  at  a  more 
advanced  period  of  life.  They  were  religiously  edu- 
cated, but  have  turned  their  backs  on  "  that  holy  name, 
which  they  were  early  taught  to  fear."  Or  they  argued 
themselves  into  religion,  and  became  Christians  mei'ely 
upon  rational  evidence  and  conviction,  with  no  cor- 
responding affections  of  heart.  The  time  was  when 
they  were  under  strong  animal  excitement,  and  their 
feelings  were  enlisted,  and  they  were  softened  into  ten- 
derness, and  melted  into  tears ;  but  it  was  only  for  the 
moment.  Like  the  religion  of  the  stony  ground  hear- 
ers, and  backsliding  Ephraim,  their  "  goodness  is  as  the 
morning  cloud  ;  and  as  the  early  dew,  it  goeth  away." 
All  these  run,  but  none  of  them  so  as  to  obtain. 

The  uniform  characteristic  of  those  engaged  in  the 
heavenly  race  is,  patient  perseverance.  "  We  are  not 
of  them  that  draw  back  to  perdition,  but  of  them  that 
believe,  to  the  saving  of  the  soul."  "  If  any  man  draw 
back,  my  soul  hath  no  pleasure  in  him."  "  To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  sit  with  me  on  my  throne, 
even  as  I  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with  my  Father 
on  his  throne."  There  is  no  trial  of  the  Christian 
character  like  this.  The  man  that  would  "  so  run  as 
to  obtain,"  must  endure  to  the  end.  He  must  not  "  run 
a  little  here  and  there,"  but  persevere  till  he  gains  the 
prize.  He  must  not  "run  by  fits  and  starts,"  but 
steadily,  and  to  the  actual  possession  of  the  crown. 
He  must  not  be  satisfied  with  running  half  way,  but 


RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE.  145 

go  up  to  the  goal,  and  never  stop  till  his  feet  stand  on 
mount  Zion,  and  he  begins  his  everlasting  song.  It  is 
a  long  and  weary  way,  and  over  many  a  mountain, 
and  many  a  sea,  and  many  a  sickly,  sandy  desert,  and 
through  much  tribulation ;  yet  must  it  all  be  travelled 
over.  *'  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,"  says 
Paul ;  "  but  this  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  the  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  which 
are  before,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the 
high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus." 

IV.  So  to  run  that  he  may  obtain,  it  is  necessary  to 
seek  and  receive  grace  to  help  in  the  time  of  need. 

The  difficulties  in  the  race  are  not  to  be  removed  by 
human  wisdom  and  power.  The  heart  of  man  is  natu- 
rally disinclined  to  holiness,  and  wholly  inclined  to  sin. 
In  addition  to  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  strength 
of  natural  corruption,  there  are  difficulties  arising  from 
Ignorance,  from  the  evil  customs  of  the  world,  and  from 
the  influence  of  invisible  and  malignant  spirits,  who  are 
bent  on  our  destruction.  And  whence  is  the  needed 
help  to  be  sought,  and  where  is  it  to  be  found  ?  Who 
is  sufficient  for  the  work  which  so  far  transcends  the 
power  of  man  ?  We  can  only  answer,  there  is  "  grace 
to  help  in  this  time  of  need ;"  there  is  a  strength  which 
is  made  perfect  in  human  weakness,  and  which  is  the 
sweetest  of  all  motives  to  diligence.  The  sovereign 
and  infinite  grace  of  God  will  raise  us  above  all  the 
difficulties  and  discouragements  of  the  race,  and  make 
our  success  certain.  "  The  youth  shall  faint  and  be 
weary,  and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fail ;  but  they 
that  wait  on  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength,  they 
shall  mount  up  on  wings  as  eagles,  they  shall  run  and 
not  be  weary,  and  walk  and  not  faint."     He  in  whora 

7 


146  RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE, 

they  have  trusted  does  not  leave,  nor  forsake  them. 
When  benighted,  he  guides  them ;  when  they  fall,  he  lifts 
them  up ;  and  when  they  are  weary  and  can  run  no 
farther,  he  takes  them  up  and  bears  them  as  on  eagles' 
wings  ; — yea,  "  he  gathers  the  lambs  with  his  arm,  and 
carries  them  in  his  bosom."  In  the  same  proportion 
in  which  the  people  of  God  are  cured  of  their  over- 
weening self-sufficiency,  they  find  everything  in  their 
dependence  to  sustain  and  animate  them.  They  may 
see  their  Saviour's  face,  even  through  the  darkest 
cloud.  They  may  hear  his  voice,  even  amid  all  the 
tumult  of  the  world,  bidding  them  go  forward,  and 
cheering  and  animating  their  hearts.  So  to  run  that 
he  may  obtain,  therefore,  a  man  must  look  to  the  re- 
sources of  power,  and  wisdom,  and  grace,  that  are 
treasured  up  in  Christ,  and  trust  in  those  resources. 
Separated  from  these,  he  is  like  the  stream,  cut  off 
from  its  fountain ;  or  like  the  moving  engine,  when  the 
propelling  power  is  exhausted.  Assiduous  and  un- 
wearied perseverance  are  only  from  his  close  alliance 
with  Almighty  grace ;  and  the  prize  of  his  high  call- 
ing, the  crown  of  righteousness,  from  that  sovereign 
arbiter,  that  righteous  Judge,  who  sustains  him  in  the 
race,  and  with  his  own  hand  gives  it  to  all  who  love 
his  appearing. 

Thus  running,  men  may  be  sure  to  obtain.  In  mak- 
ing some  application  of  these  thoughts,  I  remark, 

1.  They  suggest  the  inquiry,  Which  of  us  so  runs  that 
he  may  obtain  ?  Are  all  who  hear  me  in  the  inght  way? 
Have  you  entered  the  straight  gate  and  the  narrow  way 
that  leads  to  life  ?  Is  Christ  all  in  you  and  all  to  you  ? 
Dou  you- derive  all  the  vigor  and  comfort  of  your  prin- 
ciples and  hopes  from  him  ?     Is  he  your  refuge  from 


RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE.  147 

the  stormy  wind  and  tempest?  Is  he  the  star  that 
shines  on  your  path  in  the  darkest  night  ?  Is  he  the 
sun  that  creates  your  day  ?  Is  it  the  sacred  attraction 
of  his  cross  that  draws  you  ?  When  weary  and  ex- 
hausted, do  you  repose  beneath  the  shadow  of  that 
"  Rock  of  Ages  ;"  when  oppressed  with  hunger,  do  you 
partake  of  the  fruit  of  that  "  Tree  of  Life  ;"  when  fam- 
ished with  thirst,  do  you  drink  of  that  "  Fountain  of 
Hving  water?"  Is  the  race  you  are  running  the  "way 
of  hoHness  ?"  Does  it  begin  with  Christ  and  end  with 
Christ  ?  Does  it  lead  you  to  a  conformity  to  his  will ; 
and  as  it  conducts  you  forward,  does  it  make  you  more 
meet  for  heaven  ?  Have  you  learned  to  lean  on  the 
Spirit  of  all  grace,  to  lead  and  illuminate,  to  strengthen, 
sanctify  and  comfort  you  in  all  your  course  ?  Rest  not 
satisfied  without  the  evidence  and  enjoyment  of  these 
things.  The  want  of  them  will  becloud  your  pros- 
pects ;  cause  darkness  and  doubt,  and  fear  to  encircle 
your  path ;  give  power  to  your  invisible  enemies,  and 
lead  to  painful  despondency,  or  unholy  presumption. 

Let  us  learn  from  our  subject, 

2.  That  those  who  are  running  in  this  race,  have  no 
cause  for  discouragement.  We  overrate  the  difficulties 
and  dangers  of  the  course,  if  we  look  at  these  alone. 
We  make  too  high  an  estimate  of  enemies,  and  too  low 
an  estimate  of  friends,  if  we  forget  that  God  is  for  us. 
Looking  merely  at  the  course,  and  ourselves,  we  might 
well  be  in  a  state  of  despondency  ;  but  looking  upward, 
there  is  no  place  left  for  discouragement.  The  sailor 
who  stands  upon  the  topsail-yard,  in  a  storm,  becomes 
dizzy  if  he  does  not  look  aloft.  And  so  the  Christian 
must  be  always  looking — not  downward  to  the  deep 
sea,  but  aloft  and  toward  high  heaven.     The  Saviour 


148  RUNNING  FOR  THE  PRIZE. 

rebuked  his  disciples  in  the  storm,  because  they  were 
of  "  a  fearful  heart."  "  My  grace  shall  be  sufficient  for 
thee.'^  "  The  eternal  God  is  thy  refuge,  and  under- 
neath are  the  everlasting  arms!"  As  sure  as  that 
grace  which  drew  you  from  the  pit  is  faithful,  a  few 
more  struggles,  a  little  longer  watchfulness,  and  you 
will  have  measured  over  the  ocean  of  human  life,  and 
reached  the  promised  land.  Let  us  learn,  then,  from 
our  subject, 

3.  So  to  run,  that  we  may  obtain  the  immortal  prize. 
How  great  does  the  infatuation  of  those  appear,  who 
run  the  race  for  any  mere  earthly  good !  Men  there 
are,  who  do  this.  They  do  it  to  obtain  a  corruptible 
crown ;  we  an  incorruptible.  How  vast  the  differ- 
ence !  Happiness  is  forbidden  to  man  here  below. 
No  man  who  runs  for  it  will  ever  obtain  the  prize  he 
seeks.  He  is  pursuing  the  shadow  only.  He  has  but 
the  show  of  joy.  His  heart  is  empty.  His  wealth, 
his  fame,  his  power,  his  pleasures,  distract,  weary,  con- 
found, and  trouble  him,  and  leave  him  at  last  poor,  un- 
known, powerless,  and  miserable.  The  soul  was  formed 
for  something  more  than  this.  It  flutters  around  cre- 
ated good,  but  cannot  fix  itself  on  anything  beneath  the 
sun.  Seek  durable  riches  and  righteousness.  Lay  up 
your  treasure  in  heaven,  where  moth  and  rust  cannot 
corrupt,  nor  thieves  break  through  and  steal.  Seek 
the  honor  that  cometh  from  God  only.  Seek  it  where 
it  is  to  be  found,  and  where  it  will  endure.  Seek  to 
reign  forever  with  the  Son  of  God,  and  to  sit  down 
with  him  on  his  throne.  And  if  it  is  pleasure  that  you 
are  seeking,  seek  it  where  there  is  fulness  of  joy  and 
pleasures  for  evermore.  Lay  aside  every  weight,  and 
run  this  heavenly  race.     Sloth  and  indifference  will 


RUNNING  FOR  THE   PRIZE.  149 

not  gain  the  prize.  "So  run  that  ye  may  obtain." 
From  friends  and  foes,  through  evil  report  and  good 
report,  start  for  the  celestial  goal.  Nor  wait  till  the 
gates  of  heaven  are  closed.  All  may  be  lost  by  a  little 
delay.  Now  the  gates  are  unlocked,  and  the  arms  of 
mercy  are  open.  Multitudes  have  gone  before  you, 
and  multitudes  are  going  now.  Nor  will  they  fail  of 
obtaining  the  prize.  Strive,  then,  to  enter  in.  Take 
up  the  cross,  and  follow  your  Divine  Leader.  You 
"can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  strengthening  you." 
And  when  you  have  gained  the  prize ;  w^hen  you  re- 
ceive the  crown ;  it  will  be  no  grief  of  heart  to  you, 
that  you  ran  the  race.  O  how  will  the  difficulties  and 
self-denial  of  the  course  appear,  when  you  come  to  look 
back  upon  them  from  the  rewards  of  victory  ?  And 
if  there  are  any  of  you  that  shrink  from  the  effort,  and 
^vill  not  encounter  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  your  path, 
then  must  you  make  up  your  mind  to  encounter  all  the 
sorrows  of  a  lost  soul,  and  all  the  woes  of  an  undone 
eternity.  But  why  do  I  say  this  ?  Think  rather  of 
the  prize — the  crown — the  opening  heavens  and  Jesus 
standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God — and  in  view  of 
these,  and  stimulated  by  your  Great  Leader's  voice, 
"  so  run  that  you  may  obtain !" 


SEEMON   XIV. 

AGGRAVATIONS  OF    SIN. 

Luke  xii.  48.  And  that  servant  which  knew  his  Lord's  will,  and  pre- 
pared not  himself,  neither  did  according  to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten 
with  many  stripes.  But  he  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit  things 
worthy  of  stripes,  shall  be  beaten  with  few  stripes. 

There  is  no  man  in  the  world,  who  thinks  himself  so 
great  a  sinner  as  he  truly  is  in  the  sight  of  God.  One 
reason  for  this  is,  that  there  is  no  man  who  has  so  cleat 
and  lively  a  sense  of  the  aggravations  of  his  sin  as  he 
ought  to  have.  Sin  is  not  a  material  substance,  that 
can  be  measured,  and  weighed,  and  the  quantity  and 
weight  of  which  never  varies  ;  it  is  the  property,  the 
acts,  the  disposition,  the  state  of  mind  of  a  spiritual 
being,  and  which  varies  in  its  aggravations  and  enor- 
mity at  different  times,  under  different  circumstances, 
and  in  different  persons.  It  may  not  be  unprofitable 
for  us,  in  this  discourse,  to  take  a  view  of  some  of  the 
different  aggravations  of  sin. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  some  sins  are  more  aggravated 
than  others,  from  their  nature. 

All  sin  has  some  common  properties  ;  while  every 
distinct  sin  has  properties  peculiar  to  itself  Sins  that 
are  committed  against  God,  are  distinguished  from  sins 
committed  against  men.  The  worship  of  idols,  for  ex* 
ample,  is  a  sin  of  a  different  nature,  from  the  sin  of 
discontentment.     Blasphemy  is  a  sin  of  a  different 


AGGRAVATIONS   OF  SIN.  |5.| 

nature  from  the  sin  of  disobedience  to  parents  ;  and 
Sabbath-breaking  is  in  its  nature,  different  from  the 
sin  of  dishonesty.  Some  sins  therefore  are  more  ag- 
gravated than  others,  from  their  very  nature.  They 
violate  greater  and  stronger  obligations  ;  they  arise 
from  a  more  corrupt  and  base  motive  ;  they  express  a 
more  wicked  spirit ;  and  they  indicate  a  more  deter- 
mined, and  more  rash  and  desperate  purpose,  to  do 
wickedly.  The  sins  that  are  committed  directly 
against  God,  are  more  aggravated  than  the  sins  com- 
mitted against  our  fellow-men.  So  of  the  sins  com- 
mitted more  immediately  against  our  fellow-men,  there 
is  a  difference  in  their  intrinsic  turpitude.  Murder  is 
more  criminal  than  fraud ;  fraud  is  more  criminal  than 
covetousness ;  and  cruelty  is  a  greater  sin  than  un- 
kindness.  So  profane  swearing  is  a  greater  sin,  than 
light  and  trifling  conversation ;  injury  to  a  man's 
person  is  a  greater  sin,  than  injury  to  his  property; 
and  injury  to  his  reputation  and  influence  a  greater 
sin,  than  injury  either  to  his  property  or  person.  One 
sin  is  not  greater  than  another  from  the  mere  arbitrary 
appointment  of  the  Deity ;  it  is  so  in  itself  Every 
sin  is  an  unreasonable  and  wicked  thing ;  but  some 
sins  are  far  more  unreasonable  and  wicked  than  others. 
Every  sin  is  a  transgression  of  the  divine  law;  but 
there  is  in  some  sins  an  energy,  a  malignity  of  dis- 
obedience, which  is  the  origin  of  every  other  species 
of  moral  turpitude,  in  relation  either  to  God  or  man. 

II.  In  the  second  place,  some  sins  are  more  ag- 
gravated than  others,  from  the  persons  loho  commit 
them. 

The  same  sin  committed  by  one  man,  may  be  vastly 
greater    than   when    committed    by   another.     Other 


152  AGGRAVATIONS   OF   SIN. 

things  being  equal,  a  prince,  a  magistrate,  a  minister 
of  the  Gospel,  a  parent,  or  any  man  of  influence  and 
standing  in  society,  never  sins  at  so  low  a  rate  as  those 
over  whom  God  has  given  him  influence  and  authority. 
The  very  station  and  influence  of  such  persons,  lay 
them  under  peculiar  obligations ;  and,  instead  of  ex- 
tenuating their  sins,  always  aggravate  them.  The 
sins  of  Christians  and  of  God's  professed  people,  are  on 
this  account  so  much  more  aggravated  than  the  same 
sins  of  wicked  and  ungodly  men.  This  made  the  sin 
of  Judas  so  vile ;  this  made  the  sin  of  Peter  so  aggra- 
vated, when  he  denied  his  Lord  with  oaths  and  curses. 
This  made  the  sin  of  Paul  so  great,  and  constrained 
him  to  exclaim,  "O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death !"  This 
made  the  sins  of  David  so  fearful  as  to  lead  him  to 
say,  "  Mine  iniquities  are  gone  over  my  head ;  I  am 
troubled :  I  am  bowed  down  greatly ;  I  go  mourning 
all  the  day  long."  There  are  those  whose  conduct 
cannot  be  judged  by  the  same  rules  by  which  the 
conduct  of  others  is  judged.  Nor  ought  it  to  be. 
God  has  thrown  responsibilities  upon  them,  which  it 
is  impossible  for  them  to  throw  off";  and  'if  they  dis- 
regard them,  they  necessarily  sin  with  a  higher  hand 
than  do  others. 

III.  In  the  third  place,  the  sins  of  men  are  always 
aggravated  when  they  are  of  such  a  complicated  char- 
acter as  necessarily  to  involve  other  sins. 

All  sin  is,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  thus  compli- 
cated ;  so  that  it  is  true  that  "  he  that  offend  eth  in  one 
point,  is  guilty  of  all."  But  there  is  a  more  intimate 
connection  between  some  parts  of  the  divine  law,  and 
some  sins,  than  between  other  parts,  and  other  sins. 


AGGRAVATIONS   OF   SIN.  I53 

The  violation  of  that  precept,  or  that  prohibition,  which 
necessarily  involves  the  violation  of  others,  is  greatly- 
aggravated  from  this  circumstance.  Sometimes  one 
sin  involves  two  in  the  same  act.  Sometimes  it  in- 
volves three ;  and  sometimes  multitudes.  The  man 
who  is  guilty  of  the  sin  of  idolatry,  is  guilty  of  ingrat- 
itude, of  hatred  of  all  excellence,  of  injustice,  cruelty, 
murder,  obscenity,  and  all  those  revolting  crimes  which 
sap  the  foundation  of  the  social  state.  It  is  a  sin  v/hich 
includes  almost  all  other  sins ;  is  itself  a  comprehensive- 
summary  of  wickedness,  and  a  crime  which,  of  all 
others,  tends  to  degrade  the  character  of  man,  and  sink 
him  to  the  lowest  state  of  intellectual  and  moral  de- 
basement. So  the  crime  ofpi^ofane  swearing  includes 
the  utmost  contempt  of  God,  and  the  imprecation  of 
curses  and  damnation  on  our  fellow-men.  The  spirit 
from  which  it  proceeds,  everywhere  treats  the  divine 
claims  with  disrespect  and  levity,  and  would  blot  out 
the  name,  the  very  being,  of  God,  from  among  men. 
So  the  profanation  of  the  Sabbath  is  a  sin  that  never 
stands  alone,  but  includes  in  it  a  neglect  of  the  private 
and  public  worship  of  God,  together  with  a  multitude 
of  other  sins  to  which  this  profanation  almost  always 
leads  the  transgressor,  and  the  guilt  of  which  is  greatly 
augmented  by  being  committed  on  God's  holy  day.  It 
is  impossible  but  the  Sabbath-breaker  should  be  a  great 
sinner.  The  thief  also  is  necessarily  a  deceiver,  a  liar, 
covetous  and  oppressive.  Especially  are  such  com- 
plicated sins  aggravated,  when  they  are  committed 
deliberately  and  audaciously,  and  in  full  view  of  their 
attendant  and  consequent  wickedness. 

IV.  In  the  fourth  place,  sins  are  aggravated  by  the 
degree  of  misery  which  they  produce. 


254  AGGRAVATIONS  OF   SIN. 

Especially  is  this  true,  where  the  consequent  misery 
is  foreseen  by  the  transgressor.  All  of  it  may  indeed 
be  never  foreseen ;  but  enough  of  it  is  often  foreseen  to 
brand  the  transgressor  with  deep  infamy.  A  man  may 
sin  in  full  view  of  the  effects  of  sin  upon  his  own  mind 
and  character.  Take,  for  example,  the  sin  of  covetous- 
ness,  and  an  inordinate  love  of  wealth,  and  see  how  it 
chains  down  his  soul  to  time  and  sense ;  how  it  leads 
him  to  love  and  serve  himself  more  than  the  Creator ; 
how  it  wraps  him  up  in  selfishness,  and  indifference  to 
the  concerns  of  all  other  beings ;  how  it  encroaches 
upon  the  principles  of  honor,  equity,  and  justice ;  how 
it  blunts  the  feelings  of  humanity  and  compassion,  and 
prevents  him  from  attending  to  his  soul's  salvation.  A 
man  may  sin  on  purpose  to  corrupt  others  by  his  ex- 
ample ;  and  the  moral  effects  of  his  conduct  are  no 
unfair  comment  upon  his  wickedness.  Take  the  pro- 
fane and  profligate  parent,  corrupting  the  thousand 
streams  which  he  ought  to  purify,  and  diffusing  poison 
throughout  every  department  of  society.  Look  at  the 
negligence  of  that  professedly  religious  family,  where 
the  training  up  of  the  youthful  mind  in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord  is  overlooked,  and  their  chil- 
dren are  left  to  the  influence  of  their  own  wayward 
passions.  Look  at  the  libertine  multiplying,  wherever 
he  goes,  the  most  revolting  scenes  of  wretchedness,  and 
persisting  in  indulgencies  which  hoist  the  flood-gates 
of  all  iniquity.  Look  at  the  liar,  severing  the  great 
bond  of  union  between  man  and  man — destroying  all 
confidence  between  intelligent  beings,  and  all  happy 
intercourse  and  relationship,  and  as  far  as  his  influence 
can  extend,  throwing  this  earth  into  a  state  of  universal 
anarchy  and  woe. 


AGGRAVATIONS   OP   SIN.  155 

V.  In  the  fifth  place,  sins  are  aggravated  by  the  re- 
straints which  men  break  through  in  order  to  commit 
them. 

Men  often  sin  through  weakness  and  infirmity,  and 
through  sudden  passion  and  the  hurry  of  temptation ; 
and  such  sins,  though  altogether  without  excuse,  are 
not  so  deeply  criminal  as  sins  which  are  committed  in 
defiance  of  sober  thought  and  reflection,  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  powerful  restraint.  Where  men  sin  in  defi- 
ance of  the  restraints  of  reason,  and  where  they  are 
endued  with  a  vigor  of  intellect  to  appreciate  those 
restraints,  they  are  much  more  guilty  than  persons  of 
meaner  capacity,  who  commit  the  same  sins.  Where 
persons  have  enjoyed  peculiar  advantages  for  piety  and 
moral  virtue  ;  where  they  have  been  trained  up  under 
the  influence  of  prayer  and  pious  example  ;  where  they 
have  seen  the  reality,  and  known  the  power  of  godUness 
in  others,  either  in  the  peace  in  which  they  lived,  or  the 
hopes  in  which  they  died ;  and  notwithstanding  this, 
have  become  loose  in  principle,  and  profligate  in  prac- 
tice ;  they  are  peculiarly  guilty  in  the  sight  of  God. 
Where  they  sin  in  opposition  to  warnings  and  en- 
treaties, their  sin  is  aggravated  by  every  admonition 
they  disregard.  Where  the  providence  of  God  smiles 
upon  them,  and  his  exuberant  goodness  would  lead  them 
to  reflection  and  repentance,  and  they  disregard  all 
these  considerations,  and  become  more  evil ;  their  in- 
iquity also  becomes  strongly  marked.  Where  the 
judgments  of  God  overtake  them ;  where  their  way  is 
hedged  up  with  thorns ;  where  they  are  prostrated  on 
beds  of  sickness,  and  brought  back  again  to  life  and 
mercy  from  the  mouth  of  the  grave ;  where  they  have 
been  frequently  called  to  the  house  of  mourning ;  and 


156  AGGRAVATIONS  OF  SIN. 

still  break  through  all  these  preventives  to  evil,  their 
sin  is  fearfully  presumptuous.  Sometimes,  also,  men 
are  so  evil,  that  they  will  commit  one  sin  for  the  purpose 
of  committing  another  ;  or  a  series  of  sins,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  committing  a  particular  sin.  They  will  de- 
ceive, and  overreach,  and  lie,  and  swear  falsely,  and 
steal,  that  they  may  live  in  luxury  and  voluptuousness. 
And  all  these  are  most  fearful  restraints  to  break 
through,  in  order  to  commit  sin.  Whenever  men 
commit  any  act  of  wickedness,  in  opposition  to  the 
strong  and  frequent  remonstrances  of  conscience,  their 
guilt  is  augmented  in  proportion  to  the  remonstrances 
that  are  thus  overcome.  There  are  instances  of  this 
kind  where  the  sin  is  peculiarly  aggravated.  A  person 
may,  for  example,  be  tempted  to  a  particular  sin,  or  a 
particular  course  of  sinning,  from  which  he  instantly 
revolts,  and  his  conscience  is  horror-stricken  at  the 
very  thoughts  of  it.  But  he  gradually  becomes  fa- 
miliar with  the  thought,  and  it  appears  less  odious. 
Still  he  is  afraid  to  commit  it ;  and  the  strong  arm  of 
conscience  holds  him  back.  But  in  process  of  time, 
perhaps  of  years,  conscience  becomes  wearied ;  her 
voice  grows  weaker,  her  arm  is  palsied ;  her  faithful- 
ness and  courage  gone ;  and  the  pertinacious  trans- 
gressor triumphs.  I  am  disposed  to  believe  that  there 
are  very  few  acts  of  wickedness  in  the  world  greater 
than  such  acts  as  these.  You  may  add  to  these  re- 
straints the  expostulations  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  and  to 
these  you  may  add  solemn  resolutions,  promises,  and 
vows,  all  disregarded  and  broken ;  and  in  these  you 
may  see  the  characters  that  have  "  treasured  up  wrath 
against  the  day  of  wrath."  Just  in  the  measure  in 
which  men  have  disregarded,  and  broken  over  all  that 


AGGRAVATIONS   OF  SIN.  157 

has  been  done  to  restrain  and  prevent  them  from  sin- 
ning, is  their  sin  aggravated  and  vile. 

VI.  In  the  sixth  place,  the  sins  of  men  are  aggra- 
vated in  proportion  to  their  numbers. 

All  wicked  men  sin  constantly.  Their  minds  are 
probably  always  active  ;  and  therefore  they  sin,  not 
only  as  constantly  as  they  act,  but  as  constantly  as 
they  think.  Their  sins  are  as  rapid,  and  in  as  constant 
and  thick  succession,  as  their  inward  emotions.  We 
know  there  is  no  cessation  in  their  sinning  from  the 
existence  of  any  one  holy,  or  right  affection.  So  that 
from  the  nature  of  the  case,  their  sins  very  rapidly  ac- 
cumulate, and  become  greatly  aggravated  by  their  num- 
bers. Some  persons  sin  faster  and  stronger  than  others, 
because  the  operations  of  their  minds  are  faster  and 
stronger  ;  but  other  things  being  equal,  they  are  al- 
ways greater  sinners,  as  their  sins  increase  in  number. 
Two  sins  are  not  so  many  as  three,  nor  are  three  so 
many  as  twenty ;  and  where  they  are  all  equally  ag- 
gravated, the  person  who  commits  the  greatest  number 
of  sins  is  the  greatest  sinner.  A  child  is  a  great  sinner, 
and  has  committed  a  great  many  sins ;  but  he  has  not 
committed  so  many  sins  as  the  youth  who  has  walked 
according  to  the  course  of  this  world  for  twenty  years. 
So  the  man  of  thirty  cannot  be  so  great  a  sinner  as  the 
man  of  fifty,  sixty,  or  seventy  years,  unless  he  has  sin- 
ned as  much  faster  and  as  much  stronger  as  to  make 
up  for  the  deficiency  in  time.  There  are  babes  in  sin, 
as  there  are  babes  in  grace.  And  there  are  full-grown 
men  in  sin ;  and  there  are  those  who  are  old  in  sin — 
giants  in  wickedness — whose  "  hairy  scalp"  God  shall 
wound,  because  they  "  go  on  still  in  their  trespasses.'* 
Time  and  years  make  the  way  to  hell  broader  and 


258  AGGRAVATIONS  OF  SIN. 

steeper.  The  youngest  sinner  is  a  debtor  to  divine 
justice,  and  has  nothing  to  pay.  But  as  he  grows  in 
years,  his  debt  is  running  on,  and  justice  is  more  clam- 
orous and  inexorable.  Every  additional  sin  adds  to  the 
weight  and  burden  of  his  offences,  and  to  the  cry  of  his 
abominations  that  goes  up  to  heaven.     I  add, 

VII.  In  the  last  place,  one  of  the  greatest  aggrava- 
tions of  sin  is  the  light  and  knowledge  against  which  it 
is  committed. 

This  is  the  aggravating  consideration  brought  to 
view  in  the  text.  "That  servant  which  knew  his 
Lord's  will,  and  prepared  not  himself,  neither  did  ac- 
cording to  his  will,  shall  be  beaten  with  many  stripes." 
"  The  servant  that  knew  not,  and  did  commit  things 
worthy  of  stripes,"  was  to  be  "  beaten,"  because  there 
is  ill-desert  and  criminality  in  sins  of  ignorance.  No 
man  need  be  ignorant  of  God's  will,  because  God  has 
given  to  all  less  or  more  of  the  means  of  instruction. 
Yet,  those  who  have  little  light  shall  be  accountable 
only  for  the  knowledge  they  possess.  Great  knowl- 
edge is  a  dangerous  thing,  if  it  be  not  improved ;  and 
greatly  aggravates  the  guilt  of  the  transgressor.  "  To 
whom  much  is  given,  of  them  will  much  be  required." 
It  is  the  universal  law  of  the  divine  government,  that 
in  proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  men  have  the 
means  of  instruction,  and  are  actually  acquainted  with 
the  will  of  God,  their  wickedness  becomes  more  aggra- 
vated, more  direct  and  deliberate  rebellion,  and  their 
punishment  will  be  proportionably  more  severe.  This 
was  what  made  Paul  desis^nate  himself  as  the  "chief 
of  sinners."  He  knew  more  of  God's  will  than  most 
other,  if  not  than  all  other  men.  He  had  great  talents 
and  great  privileges,  and  he  made  very  rapid  advances 


AGGRAVATIONS   OF  SIN. 


159 


in  knowledge.  No  man  of  his  times  was  a  greater  pro- 
ficient in  the  learning  of  the  Jews,  or  the  Gentiles,  than 
he.  After  his  conversion,  he  had  more  enlarged  and 
consistent  views  of  God  and  his  truth,  and  of  the  doc- 
trines and  duties  of  the  Gospel,  and  of  heaven  and  of 
hell,  than  other  men.  This  made  him  feel  the  burden 
of  sin.  The  man  who  knows  what  God  has  done  for 
him  in  sending  his  Son  to  seek  and  to  save  that  w^hich 
was  lost;  the  man  who  knows  what  the  Saviour  has 
done  in  suffering  and  dying  for  his  salvation ;  the  man 
to  whom  this  salvation  is  offered,  and  on  whom  God 
waits  to  long-suffering,  to  accept  of  his  mercy,  and 
who  does  not  accept,  but  neglects  and  despises  this 
great  salvation;  is  a  very  wicked  man.  The  man 
who  has  the  Bible  in  his  hands ;  whose  place  has  been 
allotted  to  him  in  the  house  of  God ;  who  has  enjoyed 
the  solemn  instructions  and  exhortations  of  a  faithful 
and  earnest  ministry ;  the  man  who  has  had  line  upon 
line  and  precept  upon  precept,  who  has  been  urged 
with  plainness  and  solemnity,  and  by  considerations 
the  best  suited  to  impress  the  mind  of  a  rational  and 
immortal  creature  to  ''  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come," 
and  yet  remains  in  his  sins,  is  a  very  wicked  man.  He 
may  not  be  an  idolater,  a  thief,  a  murderer,  a  liar,  while 
he  may  be  worse  than  they.  Many  an  idolater,  and 
thief,  and  liar,  and  adulterer,  and  murderer,  who  has 
never  heard  of  the  Bible,  nor  the  sanctuary,  nor  the 
Saviour  of  sinners,  shall  have  fewer  and  less  sins  to 
answer  for  than  such  a  man.  "  It  shall  be  more  toler- 
able for  the  land  of  Sodom  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
than  for  him."  Light  is  the  great  thing  which  aggra- 
vates the  guilt  of  men.  "  This  is  the  condemnation, 
that  light  has  come  into  the  world,  and  men  have  loved 


150  AGGRAVATIONS   OF   SIN. 

darkness  rather  than  light,  because  their  deeds  are  evil.' 
Men  cannot  be  great  sinners,  in  comparison  with  others, 
without  great  light.  Flagitious  and  scandalous  sins, 
under  the  direction  of  a  benighted  and  erring  con- 
science, are  not  half  so  ill-deserving  as  more  decent 
transgressions  under  the  clear  and  convincing  light  of 
the  Gospel.  Misim proved  privileges  only  aggravate 
sin.  Light  and  mercy  carry  nothing  but  terror  to 
their  guilty  opposers.  Where  they  are  not  a  savor  of 
life  unto  life,  they  are  a  savor  of  death  unto  death. 
Where  they  do  not  make  men  better,  they  make  them 
worse.  Where  they  do  not  sanctify,  they  desecrate. 
Where  they  do  not  save,  they  damn.  They  never 
leave  men  as  they  find  them ;  but  if  misimproved,  make 
them  tenfold  more  the  children  of  hell  than  before. 

I  might  advert  to  other  things  which  show  the  aggra- 
vations of  human  iniquity.  But  I  will  close  the  view 
already  given,  by  the  following 

REFLECTIONS. 

1.  We  learn  from  this  subject,  in  the  first  place, 
that  it  is  of  great  importance  that  men  should  have 
a  tender  and  enlightened  conscience.  God  has  given 
men  a  conscience,  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  them 
to  form  a  just  estimate  of  their  own  character.  One 
reason  why  they  do  not  see  themselves  to  be  great 
sinners,  is  that  their  conscience  is  impaired,  and  the 
edge  of  it  blunted,  and  its  moral  discernment  w^eak- 
ened.  No  man  is  beyond  the  reach  of  a  true  and 
just  conviction  of  his  own  sinfulness,  and  all  its  ag- 
gravations, so  long  as  he  has  a  conscience.  He  may 
stifle  conscience  for  a  while  ;  but  he  cannot  destroy  it. 


AGGRAVATIONS    OF   SIN.  161 

The  most  thoughtless  sinner  carries  that  within  him, 
which  is  able  to  discover  all  his  guilt,  and  destroy  all 
his  peace.  The  boldest  and  most  presumptuous,  are 
not  safe  from  the  reproaches  of  conscience.  Nor  are 
the  self-righteous  and  self-deceived.  Nor  is  the  man 
who  sins  in  secret,  safe  from  the  eye  of  conscience. 
And  the  longer  any  of  you  resist  and  stifle  conscience, 
the  more  power  will  you  ultimately  give  it  to  disturb 
your  peace,  destroy  your  hopes,  and  fill  you  with  in- 
supportable anguish  and  distress. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  does  not  our  subject  furnish 
an  humbling  vieiv  of  allimpenitejit  shiners  in  ChristiaK 
lands  ?  Do  not  the  leading  circunlstanoes  which  impart 
such  aggravation  to  the  sins  of  men,  distinguish  the  char- 
acter and  conduct  of  such  persons  as  enjoy  the  privileges 
of  the  Gospel,  and  yet  persist  in  impenitence  ?  If  to  do 
wrong,  knowing  it  to  be  wrong,  greatly  aggravates  the 
sin  of  men,  is  not  your  sin,  my  friends,  greatly  aggra- 
vated ?  If  you  know  God,  and  yet  you  do  not  glorify 
him  as  God ;  if  you  acknowledge  him  as  your  Creator, 
your  Preserver,  your  Benefactor,  and  yet  refuse  to  be 
devoted  to  his  service ;  if  you  know  that  your  iniquity 
is  vile,  and  that  God  hates  it,  and  that  you  ought  to 
hate  it,  and  yet  you  cleave  to  your  sins,  and  will  not 
forsake  them ;  do  you  not  make  light  of  sin — mock  at 
it  ?  It  is  a  burden  too  heavy  for  any  intelligent  being 
to  bear ;  yet  you  trifle  with  it.  You  know  that  there 
is  but  one  Saviour,  yet  you  reject  him,  to  the  jeopardy 
of  your  eternity;  You  know  there  is  no  time  for  delay 
in  the  great  business  of  the  soul's  salvation  ;  yet  you 
delay.  You  know  that  there  is  no  excuse  for  your 
impenitence  and  unbelief;  yet  are  you  continually 
framing  excuses.     You  are  in  the  midst  of  light  and 


162  AGGRAVATIONS   OF    SIN. 

mercy  ;  yet  your  sins  are  continually  increasing.  God 
is  lengthening  out  your  days  and  years  of  peace  and 
comfort  on  the  earth  ;  he  is  continuing  to  you  the 
smiles  of  his  providence,  and  the  enjoyment  of  his 
bounty,  so  that  every  place  and  scene  through  which 
you  have  passed  in  the  world,  or  where  you  ha,ve 
dwelt,  bears  the  memorials  of  his  loving  kindness ;  yet 
you  remain  ungrateful  and  rebellious,  and  will  neither 
fear  him,  nor  love  his  Son.  Instructions,  warnings, 
counsels,  mercies,  judgments,  all  fail  to  reclaim  you, 
and  instead  of  softening,  have  only  hardened  your 
hearts.  Time  and  opportunity  have  been  lavished  and 
lost  upon  you,  and  have  only  served  to  render  you 
more  inexcusable.  You  choose  the  path  that  leads  to 
death  ;  you  resist  the  strivings  of  the  Spirit ;  you  love 
the  vanities  of  the  world,  and  will  go  after  them ;  and 
though  God  still  calls,  you  refuse  his  calls.  You 
might  have  lived  to  do  good  ;  but  instead  of  this,  you 
have  buried  your  talent  in  the  earth,  and  are  the  means 
of  destroying,  rather  than  saving,  the  souls  of  men. 
And  are  you  not  sinners  ?  Are  you  not  great  sinners  ? 
Must  you  not  reproach  yourselves  ?  Must  not  the 
time  come,  when  your  sins  will  make  a  very  deep  im- 
pression on  your  minds ;  when  they  will  fill  you  with 
painful  reflection  ;  when  they  never  can  be  again  for- 
gotten ?     That  day  must  come.     I  add, 

3.  In  the  third  place,  how  obvious  is  it  from  this 
subject,  that  we  all  need  an  interest  in  Jesus  Christ ! 
If  Paul  could  say,  "  It  is  a  faithful  saying  and  worthy 
of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners,  of  whom  I  am  chief  ;^'  it  may  be  that 
some  of  us  can  say  it  also.  It  may  be  that  you  your- 
selves feel  that  you  greatly  need  the  pardoning  mercy 


AGGRAVATIONS   OF   SIN.  163 

of  God,  and  an  intere^  in  the  atoning  blood  of  his  Son. 
Yes,  my  friends,  you  have  need  of  just  such  a  Saviour 
as  the  Gospel  reveals.  Nothing  but  the  blood  of  the 
great  Atonement  can  cleanse  from  such  sins  as  yours. 
If  Paul  could  not  find  peace  with  God,  except  through 
Jesus  Christ ;  if  the  best  of  Christians  never  have 
found  it  except  there  ;  where  else,  suppose  ye,  it  can  be 
found  ?  Believe  me,  you  stand  in  great  need  of  him 
who  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 
You  stand  in  great  need  of  him  who  came  to  save  the 
chief  of  sinners  There  will  be  a  great  company  of 
sinners,  and  of  great  sinners  saved  by  the  abounding 
grace  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ ;  and  you  may  be  saved 
as  well  as  they.  However  far  you  may  be  from  think- 
ing that  God  has  mercy  for  you,  or  that  his  Son  suffered 
and  died  to  save  you ;  if  you  see  your  sins,  if  you  see 
their  aggravations,  and  feel  the  burden  of  them,  and 
would  indeed  have  an  interest  in  that  holy  and  precious 
salvation  ;  then  are  you  the  very  sinner  to  whom  he 
this  day  offers  his  free  redemption.  If  you  are  willing 
to  come  to  Christ  just  as  you  are,  and  here  at  his  cross 
part  with  your  sins  for  him  and  heaven  ;  be  assured, 
he  will  not  cast  you  out.  Great  and  aggravated  as 
your  transgressions  are,  they  are  not  so  great  as  the 
exceeding  riches  of  his  grace.  Let  the  greatness  of 
your  necessity  then,  be  your  plea  for  the  greatness  of 
his  mercy.  Address  the  throne  like  one  ruined  and 
undone,  and  say, "  Lord,  save  or  I  perish  !"  Flee  to  the 
stronghold  as  prisoners  of  hope.  Flee  to  the  arms 
of  that  Saviour,  now  as  ready  to  welcome  you  to  his 
bosom,  as  they  were  once  so  willingly  stretched  on  the 
cross.     There  is   but  one  sin  so  aggravated  that  he 


164  AGGRAVATIONS   OF   SIN, 

cannot  paraon;  and  that  is  the  sin  which  contemns 
offered  mercy,  and  tramples  upon  Christ  and  his  salva- 
tion, to  the  last.  O  may  God  incline  your  hearts  no 
longer  to  oppose  your  own  salvation,  and  to  his  name 
be  the  praise.     Amen ! 


SERMON   XV. 

CONSCIOUS  INTEGRITY  A  PRESERVATIVE  FROM 
EVIL. 

Psalm  xxv.  2l.     Let  integrity  and  uprightness  preserve  me. 

It  is  a  narrow  and  miserable  policy  to  expect  to  be 
the  gainers  by  doing  wrong.  It  shows  very  little  ac- 
quaintance with  the  government  of  God,  and  no  confi- 
dence in  God  himself,  ever  to  persuade  ourselves  that 
it  is  unsafe  to  do  that  which  is  right,  or  better,  or  hap- 
pier to  neglect  our  duty  than  to  perform  it. 

It  is  stated  of  the  Prince  of  Conde,  a  zealous  Protes- 
tant, that  having  received  a  message  from  Charles  IX., 
the  King  of  France,  to  choose  one  of  three  things, — 
either  to  attend  the  mass,  or  be  put  to  death,  or  suffer 
perpetual  banishment, — he  replied,  "  The  first,  God 
helping  me,  /  never  will  choose ;  but  for  the  other  two, 
I  leave  it  to  the  choice  of  the  king."  To  do  right 
sometimes  requires  great  self-denial,  and  greater  sacri- 
fices than  men  are  willing  to  make.  Reputation,  prop- 
erty, the  loss  of  employment,  and  of  places  of  honor  and 
profit,  and  the  loss  of  friends,  are  sometimes  jeoparded 
by  unflinching  and  unblemished  integrity.  Men,  for 
the  most  part,  sit  down  and  make  their  calculations  in 
order  to  ascertain  whether  it  is  safer  for  them  to  follow 
the  dictates  of  an  enlightened  conscience,  in  the  per- 
formance of  whatever  their  duty  leads  them  to  perform, 


166  CONSCIOUS   INTEGRITY 

or  to  pursue  the  opposite  course,  and  leave  it  undone 
Yet  we  think  we  shall  be  borne  out  in  the  declaration, 
that  they  never  injure  themselves  so  much,  as  when 
they  swerve  from  the  path  of  strict  rectitude  and  in- 
tegrity ;  and  never  so  hazard  their  influence,  their  good 
name,  their  property,  their  friends,  and  the  good-will, 
confidence,  and  kind  offices  of  their  fellow-men,  as  by 
a  loose  and  dispirited  morality. 

It  is  a  beautiful  thought  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Let  integ- 
rity and  uprightness  preserve  me  !"  If  a  man  cannot 
be  safe  in  doing  what  is  right,  he  had  better  expose 
himself  to  danger ;  because  an  approving  conscience 
and  an  approving  God,  are  worth  more  to  him  than  all 
the  temporary  inconvenience  and  suffering  to  which  he 
may  be  subjected  for  doing  what  is  right.  There  is, 
in  the  long  run  of  human  affairs,  no  such  security  in 
the  world,  as  is  found  in  a  man's  conscious  integrity. 
Be  he  ever  so  w^ise,  his  superior  wisdom  and  discretion 
are  not  half  so  sure  a  safeguard  as  his  integrity.  Be 
he  ever  so  rich  and  honorable,  his  wealth  and  station 
can  never  throw  such  a  shield  about  him  as  his  integ- 
rity. He  is  never  so  much  at  ease,  and  never  feels 
that  he  has  so  little  cause  for  suspicion  and  watchful- 
ness, as  when  he  has  the  high  and  honest  consciousness 
of  personal  integrity. 

This  is  a  most  enviable  state  of  mind.  And  it  is  one 
which  may  be  enjoyed.  It  is  alike  attainable  by  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  by  the  wise  and  the  unwise,  the  base 
and  the  honorable,  seamen  and  landsmen.  And  it  is 
attainable  by  a  very  simple  and  intelligible  way ;  and 
that  is,  by  the  performance  of  acknowledged  duty. 
It  is  this, — this  firm  integrity,  this  strong  and  bold  ad- 
herence to  what  is   right,   that   puts   a   man  beyona 


A   PRESERVATIVE   FROM   EVIL,  157 

the  reach  of  danger.  Such  a  course  of  conduct  may 
seem  to  be  hazardous ;  it  may  indeed  be  attended  with 
temporary  inconvenience,  and  even  suffering;  yet  is 
it  in  the  end  always  the  safe  course, — the  only  safe 
course  for  time  and  eternity.  z 

But  what  is  integrity  ?  It  must  be  something  more 
than  a  name,  a  notion,  a  fancy.  There  are  very  false 
notions  of  it  in  the  world ;  some  men  and  some  nations 
deem  that  to  be  right,  which  other  men,  and  other  na- 
tions, deem  to  be  wrong.  The  maxims  of  a  world 
that  lieth  in  wickedness,  the  laws  and  customs  of  so- 
ciety ;  the  usages  of  merchants  and  mariners  are  not 
always  the  safe  rule  of  right.  There  is  but  one  rule, 
and  that  is  the  word  of  God ;  what  that  requires  is 
right,  what  that  forbids  is  wrong.  This  rule  is  equally 
applicable  to  all  beings  and  all  worlds,  to  all  nations, 
all  climates,  all  seas,  and  all  men. 

With  the  Bible  in  their  hands,  it  is  no  difficult  mat- 
ter for  men  to  come  at  the  knowledge  of  what  it  re- 
quires, and  what  it  forbids.  A  well-informed  con- 
science and  an  honest  heart,  will  always  direct  them. 
I  say,  a  well-informed  conscience,  and  an  honest  heart; 
for  without  both  of  these,  they  will  be  very  apt  to  go 
astray.  They  never  act  right  in  doing  that  which  is 
contrary  to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience ;  nor, 
in  following  the  dictates  of  their  conscience,  do  they 
act  right  unless  they  follow  these  dictates  from  an  hon- 
est and  right  heart.  Conscience  may  be  perverted  and 
biassed  ;  and  there  are  not  wanting  instances  in  which 
some  sin  fearfully  from  the  impulse  of  a  misguided  con- 
science. Conscience,  in  order  to  be  a  safe  guide,  must 
be  under  the  direction  of  a  right  heart,  and  a  right 
spirit.     It  is  only  right-hearted  men  who  can  always 


168  CONSCIOUS   INTEGRITY 

trust  to  their  consciences  to  guide  them.  Conscience 
is  a  stubborn  thing,  and  if  under  the  controUing  influ- 
ence of  a  wicked  heart,  is  sure  to  make  shipwreck  of  a 
man's  integrity.  It  is  not  a  true  chart  alone  that  con- 
ducts the  mariner  to  his  destined  port;  his  compass 
must  be  true,  and  its  aim  steady  and  single  to  the 
pole.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  ship  obeys  her  rudder ; 
her  sails  must  be  spread  to  the  wind,  and  a  favorable 
breeze  must  blow.  A  wrong  heart  is  to  human  life 
what  an  adverse  current  is  to  the  ship's  course.  She 
may  head  her  true  course,  and  seem  to  promise  a  safe 
voyage,  while  a  subtle  and  unobserved  current  is  driv- 
ing her  to  the  lee-shore.  So  the  impulse  under  which 
a  man  acts,  the  stray  current  of  his  own  feelings  and 
spirit,  are  always  to  be  taken  into  the  account  when 
he  sits  in  judgment  upon  his  integrity.  When  men 
act  from  an  honest  conscience,  and  a  holy  Christian 
spirit,  they  always  act  right,  and  are  approved  of  God. 

Such  integrity  is  safe  ;  and,  in  the  final  result,  it  will 
always  be  found  to  be  the  only  true  and  safe  course. 

Consider  a  moment  the  force  and  clearness  with 
which  this  thought  is  established  by  the  word  of  God. 
"  He  that  walketh  uprightly,"  says  the  inspired  author 
of  the  Book  of  Proverbs,  "  walketh  surely,''  "  Thou 
wilt  keep  him,"  says  the  Prophet,  "  in  perfect  peace, 
whose  mind  is  stayed  on  thee,  because  he  trusteth  in 
thee."  "  They  that  trust  in  the  Lord,"  says  the  Psalm- 
ist, "  sludl  be  as  Mount  Zion,  which  cannot  he  removed, 
but  abideth  forever."  It  is  the  voice  of  Divine  Wisdom 
which  says,  "  Whoso  hearkeneth  unto  me  shall  dwell 
safely.''^  And  the  Apostle  Peter,  addressing  the  saints 
that  were  scattered  abroad  in  a  dark,  corrupting,  and 
persecuting  age  of  the  world,  says  to  them,  "  Who  is 


A   PRESERVATIVE   FROM   EVIL.  IQQ 

he  that  will  harm  you,  if  ye  be  followers  of  that  which 
is  good  ?" 

Consider,  also,  that  true  integrity  of  character  en- 
joys the  favor  and  protection  of  Almighty  God.  Who 
would  not  rather  have  all  the  world  for  his  enemies, 
and  God  Almighty  for  his  friend ;  than  all  the  world 
his  friends,  and  God  Almighty  for  his  enemy  ?  When 
Abraham  was  exposed  to  trials,  and  sufferings,  and 
enemies,  because  of  his  stern  and  self-denying  integrity, 
God  Almighty  said  to  him,  "  Fear  not,  Abraham,  I  am 
thy  shield,  and  thy  exceeding  great  reward."  Abraham 
was  not  afraid.  And  who  would  be,  if  he  could  only 
hear  the  God  of  Heaven  address  him  in  such  language 
as  this  ?  And  does  he  not  address  every  good  man  in 
just  such  language  ?  Does  he  not  say,  "  The  eyes  of 
the  Lord  run  to  and  fro  throughout  the  earth,  to  show 
himself  strong  in  behalf  of  them  whose  heart  is  perfect 
toward  him  ?"  He  is  everywhere  present,  and  his  arms 
are  their  eternal  guard.  He  instructs  us  too  plainly  on 
this  subject  to  be  misunderstood,  "  He  that  will  love 
life,  and  see  good  days,  let  him  refrain  his  tongue  from 
evil,  and  his  lips  from  speaking  guile ;  let  him  eschew 
evil,  and  do  good ;  let  him  seek  peace,  and  ensue  it. 
For  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  over  the  righteous,  and 
his  ears  are  open  to  their  prayers ;  but  the  face  of  the 
Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil."  He  knows  the 
trials  to  which  men  are  exposed  by  their  integrity ;  he 
knows  where  they  are,  and  when  they  most  need  his 
care.  He  approves,  when  others  disapprove  their  con- 
duct; he  loves,  when  others  hate  and  would  injure 
them ;  and  he  stands  ready  to  prevent,  or  remove  the 
evils  to  which  they  are  exposed.  "  Wherefore,  my  be- 
loved brethren,  let  them  that  suffer  according  to  the 

8 


170  CONSCIOUS   INTEGRITY 

will  of  God,  commit  the  keeping  of  their  souls  to  him, 
in  well  doing,  as  to  a  faithful  Creator."  If  God  be  for 
us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?  The  favor  and  protection 
of  God  are  enough  to  counterbalance,  if  they  do  not 
always  counteract  and  prevent,  all  the  evil  which  his 
friends  may  suffer  on  account  of  their  adherence  to  his 
commands.  "  Fear  not  them,"  says  the  blessed  Saviour, 
**  which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ; 
but  rather  fear  him  that  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and 
body  in  hell.  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  far- 
thing? and  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground 
without  your  Father.  But  the  very  hairs  of  your  head 
are  all  numbered.  Fear  ye  not,  therefore,  ye  are  of 
more  value  than  many  sparrows."  If  we  were  firm  in 
the  faith,  that  there  is  a  God  in  heaven  who  ruleth 
among  the  children  of  men,  we  should  be  better  satis- 
fied in  doing  what  is  right,  and  leaving  the  conse- 
quences with  him.     Duty  is  ours  ;  events  are  God's. 

Look  now  at  the  history  of  good  men,  and  see  if,  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  they  have  not  been  remarkably  pre- 
served and  blessed  for  their  integrity.  Read  the  history 
of  Noah,  when  the  earth  was  deluged  by  the  flood ;  of 
Lot,  when  fire  from  heaven  consumed  the  cities  of  the 
plain  :  of  Joseph  and  Moses,  amid  the  perils  of  Egypt ; 
of  Joshua  and  Caleb,  when  the  providence  of  God  so  in- 
terposed, because  of  their  fidelity  the  whole  congregation 
of  Israel  were  about  to  stone  them  with  stones ;  of 
David,  in  the  family  of  Saul ;  of  Elijah,  defended  from 
the  fury  of  the  wicked  and  cruel  Ahab ;  of  Jeremiah,  in 
the  dungeon ;  of  Shadrac,  Meshach,  and  Abednego, 
miraculously  rescued  from  the  burning  fiery  furnace ; 
©f  Daniel,  delivered  from  the  lions'  den,  and  elevated  to 
*?)e  highest  honors  of  the  proudest  of  empires;  and  of 


A   PRESERVATIVE  PRON  SIN.  17  x 

thousands  of  others  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy. 
Good  men  are  a  Uttle  flock ;  but  they  are  cared  for  by 
the  Shepherd  of  Israel.  Everywhere  exposed,  they 
have  still  been  kept  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  They 
have  been  like  the  bush  on  Horeb,  "  burning,  but  not 
consumed."  If  they  were  of  the  world,  the  world 
would  love  his  own ;  but  because  they  are  chosen  out 
of  the  world,  therefore  the  world  hateth  them.  Yet 
they  live  ;  they  have  been  preserved  from  age  to  age ; 
and  though  opposed  more  than  any  other  community, 
they  are  safe.  Their  defence  is  the  munition  of  rocks ; 
bread  shall  be  given  them,  and  their  water  shall  be  sure. 
The  church  of  God  is  not  a  favorite  with  the  world. 
"  Mine  heritage,"  says  he,  *'  is  a  speckled  bird ;  the 
birds  round  about  her  are  against  her."  She  has  not 
lived  and  prospered,  because  she  ha* found  a  refuge  in 
arm  of  flesh.  She  has  had  no  superiority  to  boast  of; 
instead  of  being  superior,  she  has  been  few  in  numbers  ; 
instead  of  being  superior,  she  has  been  weak  in  strength ; 
the  numbers,  the  power,  the  learning,  the  influence  of 
the  world,  have  been  against  her.  Yet  God  is  for  her ; 
and  therefore,  more  are  they  that  are  for  her,  than 
they  that  are  against  her. 

There  is  also  a  remarkable  fact  in  regard  to  men  of 
Christian  integrity,  that  speaks  volumes  in  their  favor, 
and  in  proof  of  their  ultimate  security.  It  is,  that  after 
all  which  wicked  men  say,  and  do  against  them,  they 
possess  their  respect  and  esteem.  Their  character  and 
conduct  extorts  veneration,  even  from  the  worst  of 
men.  Their  very  virtues  often  tie  up  the  hands  of 
their  enemies,  and  quench  their  malice.  There  is  a 
beauty  and  comeliness  in  their  integrity  which  com- 
mand confidence.     Men  who  are  dishonest  and  vicious 


172  CONSCIOUS   INTEGRITY 

themselves,  and  flee  from  duty  at  the  first  approach  of 
danger,  speak  of  them,  and  trust  them  as  they  do  not 
speak  of  and  trust  in  others.  There  is  a  dignity  and 
power  about  them  which  impresses  and  awes.  They 
may  not  dazzle,  like  the  glittering  pageants  of  the  world ; 
but  they  are  esteemed,  they  are  held  in  unrivalled  esti- 
mation ;  and  when  the  laurels  of  a  Ceesar  and  a  Na- 
poleon shall  fade,  theirs  shall  be  fresh  and  green,  and 
when  the  trophies  of  heroes  shall  have  perished,  theirs 
shall  live,  and  grow  brighter  even  with  the  wreck  of 
time.  Neither  the  devouring  tooth  of  malice,  nor  of 
time,  can  waste  them.  They  approve  themselves  to 
the  consciences  of  men.  "  When  the  ear  hears  them, 
it  blesses  them  ;  and  when  the  eye  sees  them,  it  gives 
witness  to  them ;  because  they  delivered  the  poor  that 
cried,  and  the  fatherless,  and  him  that  hath  no  helper." 
Men  need  not  be  afraid  of  being  honest  and  true. 
They  shall  be  the  more  honored  for  it,  even  by  their 
enemies.  Their  integrity  is  their  security ;  and,  far 
more  than  anything  else,  tends  to  disarm  the  power 
and  insolence  of  those  who  would  rise  up  against  them, 
to  put  to  silence  the  foolishness  of  wicked  men,  to  rec- 
ommend the  integrity  they  practise,  and  convince  the 
world  of  its  reality,  its  divine  origin,  and  its  importance. 
There  is  one  strong  objection  to  all  that  has  been 
said.  I  hear  some  of  you  say,  that  the  integrity  of 
men  has  not  always  preserved  them.  Stephen  was 
stoned ;  James  and  John  were  beheaded  ;  the  church 
at  Jerusalem  was  scattered  abroad  by  persecution ; 
and  in  every  age,  good  men  have,  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  been  the  sufferers  for  their  piety.  Yes,  it  is  so. 
They  have  often  been  suffei^ers  for  their  integrity ;  but 
have  they  been  the  losers  ?    What  if  they  do  some- 


A  PRESERVATIVE   FROM   EVIL.  173 

times  suffer  ;  may  not  their  sufferings  turn  to  good  ac- 
count, and  may  not  the  time  come  when  they  will  be 
abundantly  recompensed  for  them  all  ?  Is  it  not  a 
truth,  that  "  all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them 
that  love  God  ?  and  that  these  light  afflictions  which 
are  but  for  a  moment,  shall  work  out  for  them  a  far 
more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of  glory  ?" 

Be  this,  then,  one  of  the  maxims  of  every  seaman, 
"  Let  integrity  and  uprightness  preserve  me  !"  I  have 
known  seamen  who  were  bold  and  courageous  in  doing 
wrong,  but  who  were  very  fearful  and  faint-hearted  to 
do  right.  I  have  known  those  whom  no  ridicule,  and 
no  shame,  and  no  reproach  could  deter  from  sin,  but 
who  were  ashamed  to  do  right, — ashamed  to  stand 
single  and  alone  when  their  companions  were  going  to 
scenes  of  wickedness, — ashamed  to  be  seen  with  the 
Bible  in  their  hands,  or  in  the  house  of  God. 

It  is  most  desirable  that  the  character  of  seamen 
should  be  altered,  and  elevated  in  this  particular,  and 
that  they  should  be  hold  for  the  right.  There  is  nothing 
else  worth  being  bold  for.  The  seaman's  character 
would  become  a  noble  character,  should  it  become  a 
virtuous  and  religious  character.  They  would  have 
vast  influence,  and  of  the  noblest  kind.  Nothing  would 
shake  their  courage,  nothing  weaken  their  strength ; 
and  to  all  wickedness,  they  would  be  "  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners." 

"  Who  art  thou  then,  that  thou  shouldest  be  afraid 
of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man  that 
shall  be  made  as  grass,  and  forgettest  the  Lord  thy 
Maker,  that  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and  laid  the 
foundations  of  the  earth  ;  and  hast  feared  continually 
every  day  because  of  the  fury  of  the  oppressor,  as  if 


174  CONSCIOUS   INTEGRITY,  ETC. 

he  were  ready  to  destroy  ?  and  where  is  the  fury  of 
the  oppressor  ?"  Shame  on  the  sailor  that  is  afraid  to 
do  his  duty  on  sea,  or  on  land,  toward  his  fellow-men, 
or  toward  his  Maker  !  The  "  east  wind  shall  carry 
him  away,  and  he  departeth.  God  shall  cast  upon  him 
and  shall  not  spare.  Men  shall  clap  their  hands  at  him, 
and  hiss  him  out  of  his  place."  The  fear  of  man 
bringeth  a  snare.  Fear  God  and  keep  his  command- 
ments ;  yea,  I  say  unto  you,  fear  him  ! 

Now  to  God  only  wise,  be  glory  and  dominion  for- 
ever.    Amen. 


SERMON  XVI. 

DEATH  ON  BOARD  THE  SHIP. 

Isaiah  xl.  6.  The  voice  said,  Cry.  And  he  said,  What  shall  I  cry  1 
All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the  flower  of 
the  field. 

This  Sabbath  reminds  us  of  a  melancholy  occur- 
rence on  board  the  ship,  during  the  week  that  is  jus^ 
past.  Our  number  is  diminished.  One  of  the  ship's 
company  is  missing  and  gone.  He  has  made  his  last 
voyage,  and  gone  to  his  long  home.  He  was  used  to 
being  here,  and  worshipping  God  with  us :  but  he  lies 
low  now,  and  sleeps  in  the  deep  sea.  But  a  little  while 
ago,  he  had  as  good  a  chance  of  living  as  any  of  us ; 
but  he  is  gone,  and  the  place  which  knew  him,  knows 
him  no  more.  No  mother's  kindness  comforted  him 
on  the  bed  of  languishing ;  no  mother's  hand  was  there 
to  wipe  the  cold  sweat  of  death  from  his  brow.  He 
had  no  relatives  to  bear  him  to  the  quiet  grave-yard ; 
no  church-bell  tolled  for  him ;  and  there  was  no  con- 
secrated servant  of  God,  to  stand  by  and  say,  "  We 
commit  his  body  to  the  dust."  It  was  a  seaman's  fu- 
neral ;  we  were  all  his  kindred,  because  he  was  a  sea- 
man. He  was  one  of  us,  and  we  mourn  that  he  has 
left  us  never  to  return. 

What  shall  I  say  to  you  in  view  of  this  mournful 
event  ?     "  The  voice  said.  Cry.      And  he  said,  What 


176  DEATH   ON   BOARD   THE   SHIP. 

shall  I  cry  ?  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  all  the  goodliness 
thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the  field  !" 

Seamen  are  sometimes  looked  upon  as  a  sort  of  infi- 
dels, or  atheists.  But  it  is  not  so.  We  see  for  our- 
selves, that  "  verily  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the 
earth."  The  "  sea  is  his,  for  he  made  it,  and  his  hands 
formed  the  dry  land."  There  is  no  such  thing  as 
chance,  or  what  we  call  accident  in  the  world.  What 
w^as  not  known  to  us,  is  known,  and  foreknown  to  him. 
What  we  sometimes  call  chance,  or  accident,  is  but 
the  wise  ordering  of  his  providence.  We  would  not 
be  without  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  his  hand, 
though  unseen  by  us,  directed  all  the  circumstances 
that  ended  in  the  death  of  the  departed  companion  of 
our  voyage.  "  Behold,  he  taketh  away  ;  who  can  hin- 
der him?  who  shall  say  unto  him,  What  doest  thou?" 
The  Giver  of  life  is  the  Preserver  of  life  ;  and  when  he 
no  longer  preserves  it,  wherever  they  are,  on  the  land 
or  on  the  sea,  men  must  fall  under  the  stroke  of  death. 
Every  man  has  "  his  appointed  time"  on  the  earth ;  his 
days  are  measured ;  there  is  a  limit  to  them  which  he 
cannot  pass.  Death  more  commonly  comes  to  men  in 
an  unexpected  time  and  way ;  and  this  shows  us  how 
absolutely  our  days  are  in  the  hands  of  God.  Let  us 
rejoice  that  it  is  so ;  let  us  rejoice  that  we  have  a 
Father  in  heaven  who  watches  over  us,  who  cares  for 
us,  and  who  holdeth  "  our  soul  in  life,"  as  long  as  it  is 
best  for  us  to  live.  "The  Lord  reigneth,  and  let  the 
earth  rejoice !" 

Ah !  *'  what  shall  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole 
world,  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  or  what  shall  a  man  give 
in  exchange  for  his  soul  ?"  Give  him  all  the  world ; 
yet  he  must  die.     Fill  his  coffers  with  gold  and  silver ; 


DEATH  ON   BOARD   THE  SHIP.  177 

store  his  treasure  and  crowd  his  warehouses ;  give  him 
all  that  every  climate  and  country  can  yield ;  yet  he 
must  die.  And  it  is  no  trifling  matter  to  die.  Who  is 
there  that  does  not  think  of  it  with  dismay,  and  to 
whom  the  prospect  of  putrefying  in  the  dark  grave,  or 
wasting  away  amid  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  is  not  a 
gloomy  prospect  ?  Yet  this  is  not  what  makes  it  so 
solemn  a  thing  to  die.  It  is  because  death  puts  an  end 
to  this  day  of  grace,  and  this  space  of  repentance,  and 
introduces  the  soul  into  the  immediate  presence  of  its 
Maker,  and  to  an  unalterable  eternity.  Death  ends  all 
the  happiness  of  the  wicked,  and  all  the  sufferings  of 
the  righteous.  The  body  and  the  soul  are  then  sepa- 
rated, the  body  to  "  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and 
the  spirit  to  God  who  gave  it."  This  will  be  a  delightful 
interview  to  a  good  man ;  but  to  a  wicked  man  it  will 
be  awful  beyond  thought.  O  who  of  us  is  prepared  for 
this  solemn  event  ?  Whose  account  is  ready  ?  Which 
of  us  has  engaged  the  Friend  of  sinners  to  help  him  at 
that  great  Day,  when  we  appear  before  a  holy  God  ? 
What  transactions  has  your  faith  had  with  that  great 
Advocate,  in  order  to  secure  him  then  to  plead  your 
cause  ?  The  great  work  of  life  is  not  yet  begun  with 
the  man  who  is  not  thus  prepared  to  die. 

There  are  no  doubt  more  deaths  on  the  land,  than 
on  the  sea,  because  there  are  not  so  many  who  traverse 
the  seas,  as  live  on  the  land.  Yet  what  an  uncounted 
multitude  have  died  at  sea,  and  found  the  foaming 
wave  their  winding-sheet !  What  a  mighty  sepulchre 
is  the  ocean !  Millions  upon  millions  lie  strewed  over 
these  unfathomable  channels ;  fleets  and  armies  sleep 
there ;  the  young,  the  brave, — the  gallant  officer  and 
the  hardv  mariner,  here  rest  side  by  side  in  these  vast 

8* 


178  DEATH   ON  BOARD   THE   SHIP. 

valleys,  of  which  the  solid  land  of  our  globe  is  but  the 
higher  surface.  It  is  not  a  darker,  nor  more  gloomy- 
receptacle  of  the  dead  than  the  more  silent  grave-yard ; 
yet  is  it  a  dark  and  gloomy  home.  It  is  a  silent  dwell- 
ing, where  men  of  war  are  quiet,  where  the  sons  of 
mirth  and  music  are  brought  low;  where  the  boister- 
ous tempest  and  the  cannon's  roar  is  not  heard ;  where 
man  is  forgotten,  and  his  name  and  his  memory  perish 
from  among  the  living,  and  he  is  heard  of  no  more, 
until  that  Day  when  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead. 

"  All  flesh  is  grass,  and  the  goodliness  thereof  is  as 
the  flower  of  the  field."  Let  us  not  contemplate  the 
death  of  one  of  our  company  without  bringing  the 
thought  home  to  our  own  bosoms,  that  we  ourselves 
are  dying  men.  "It  is  apjjointed  unto  men  once  to 
die."  The  sentence  never  will  be  reversed.  "  Dust 
thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shall  thou  return."  Just  as 
certainly  as  we  are  sinners,  and  have  broken  the  law 
of  God,  we  must  die.  "  By  one  man  sin  entered  into 
the  world,  and  death  by  sin ;  and  so  death  hath  passed 
upon  all  men,  for  that  all  sinned."  There  is  no  dis- 
charge in  this  war ;  we  feel  the  seeds  of  death  within 
us  now ;  and  though  we  should  live  long,  and  banish 
the  thought  of  dying  from  our  minds,  yet  must  we  har- 
ness ourselves  for  the  conflict,  and  meet  this  king  of 
terrors, — this  last  enemy  of  man.  "  Man  dieth  and 
wasteth  away;  yea,  man  giveth  up  the  ghost,  and 
where  is  he  ?  As  the  waters  fail  from  the  sea,  and  the 
flood  decayeth  and  drieth  up,  so  man  lieth  down  and 
riseth  not :  till  the  heavens  be  no  more,  they  shall  not 
awake,  nor  be  raised  out  of  their  sleep." 

No  man  is  prepared  for  death,  who  never  thinks  of 
death  until  it  comes.     We  would  have  you  be  prepared 


DEATH   ON   BOARD   THE   SHIP.  179 

for  it ;  and  that  you  may  be  so,  would  urge  you  to  make 
your  peace  with  your  offended  God,  through  that  Sav- 
iour who  is  "  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come 
unto  God  by  him."  There  is  but  this  one  way  of  life, 
and  this  one  way  of  being  prepared  for  death.  "  The 
sting  of  death  is  sin  ;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth  us  the  victory  through 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  By  his  death  he  conquered 
death ;  so  that  all  who  believe  in  him,  and  love  him, 
and  obey  him,  shall  through  him  have  the  victory.  He 
himself  invaded  the  territories  of  death,  and  conquered 
him  in  his  own  domains.  He  was  a  sojourner  with 
him  for  a  while,  but  he  broke  the  bondage,  and  thus 
became  mighty  to  save.  "  I,"  says  he,  "  am  the  resur- 
rection and  the  life;  if  a  man  believe  in  me,  though  he 
were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  What  a  day  will  that 
be,  when  the  same  voice  of  the  archangel  and  trump 
of  God,  that  shall  open  the  sepulchres  of  the  earth,  shall 
also  reach  these  deeper  tombs  of  the  sea,  where  the 
proud  waters  have,  for  so  many  ages,  closed  over  the 
dust  of  men,  and  they  shall  come  forth — they  that  have 
done  good  to  the  resurrection  of  life,  they  that  have 
done  evil  to  the  resurrection  of  damnation !  Monu- 
ments of  marble  cannot  hold  them  there ;  these  sunken 
rocks  of  adamant,  washed  by  the  waters  of  a  thousand 
centuries,  cannot  hold  them  here ;  when  his  voice  thus 
penetrates  the  earth,  and  agitates  the  ocean. 

Dying  man  !  you  may  not  live -ever  to  witness  such 
another  scene ;  to  weave  the  shroud,  and  cast  into  the 
sea  another  of  your  shipmates.  You  yourself  may  be 
the  next  that  shall  be  committed  to  this  grave  of  waters. 
Your  name  may  stand  first  in  death's  commission, 
though  you  put  far  away  the  evil  day.     You  may  think 


180  DEATH  ON  BOARD  THE   SHIP. 

he  will  come  late,  but  God  may  send  him  early.  You 
may  not  reach  the  end  of  your  voyage,  before  the 
voyage  of  life  is  over.  Yet,  yourself  may  be  the  least 
prepared  to  die ;  the  least  acquainted  with  God's  holy 
word,  the  most  thoughtless  and  hardened,  the  most 
wicked  and  profane.  You  know  not  when  the  time  of 
your  departure  shall  come ;  yet  you  live  as  though  you 
would  spin  out  the  thread  of  life  to  a  lengthened  old 
age.  There  may  be  but  a  step  between  you  and  death  ; 
yet  you  boast  yourself  of  to-morrow,  and  instead  of 
being  awake  and  in  earnest,  in  order  to  be  prepared  to 
die,  put  far  away  the  evil  day,  as  though  the  thought  of 
it  were  too  painful  to  be  endured.  Could  your  de- 
parted shipmate  rise  up  from  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  and 
once  more  address  you,  what  would  he  say  ?  Would 
he  not  rebuke  you  for  this  thoughtlessness?  Would 
he  not  tell  you,  that  all  that  the  word  of  God  teaches 
you  of  that  vast  eternity,  where  his  immortal  soul  now 
dwells,  is  sober  reality  ?  If  he  has  made  a  happy  ex- 
change of  earth  for  heaven,  and  is  now  numbered  with 
those  holy  and  happy  beings  who  have  entered  into  the 
kingdom  of  God,  to  go  no  more  out ;  would  he  not 
say,  "  O,  strive  to  enter  into  the  streight  gate,  and 
come  up  hither  ?"  And  if  he  died  in  his  sins  ;  if,  when 
death  knocked  down  his  earthly  tabernacle,  and  called 
his  trembling  spirit  away  beyond  the  reach  of  mercy 
and  of  hope,  and  consigned  it  to  its  dreadful  doom, 
»never  to  be  relieved,  and  never  to  come  to  an  end — 
would  he  not  beg  and  beseech  you  not  to  do  as  he  has 
done,  and  come  to  that  place  of  torment  ? 

Nothing  is  more  unwise  than  to  expect  to  live  a  long 
time  in  the  present  world.  It  was  not  made  for  any 
one  to  live  In  a  long  while.     It  is  a  dying  world — the 


DEATH   ON   BOARD  THE   SHIP.  JQI 

land  of  the  dying,  and  not  the  land  of  the  living.  That 
land  of  the  living  stretches  far  away  beyond  the  horizon 
of  this  world.  It  is  a  mighty  continent  that  has  no 
horizon  and  no  shore.  It  has  no  sun  and  no  sea; 
earth  and  sea  are  there  passed  away,  and  the  Lord 
God  is  the  light  of  it,  and  the  Lamb  its  glory.  Death 
will  introduce  you  to  it,  if  you  are  prepared  for  his 
coming,  and  can  die  in  peace.  Friends  will  not 
weep  for  you  then,  as  one  who  lived  without  God, 
and  died  without  hope.  No  one  will  then  say  of 
you,  "  Good  for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been  born." 
You  yourself  will  forever  bless  God  that  he  gave  you 
being,  and  made  you  acquainted  with  his  Son.  And 
though  his  wise  providence  has  not  determined  your 
residence  on  the  earth  among  the  rich,  or  the  learned, 
or  the  powerful,  yet  will  you  remember  all  the  w^ay 
in  which  he  has  led  you  with  eternal  thanksgiving 
and  praise.  You  will  magnify  him,  that  his  grace 
could  so  abound  toward  the  chief  of  sinners ;  and 
though  your  allotment  on  the  earth  has  been  amid 
storms  and  hardship,  you  will  then  rest  from  your 
labors,  and  *'  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple." 
The  rest  will  be  the  sweeter  for  all  your  toil ;  the  sky 
more  tranquil  for  every  storm ;  the  crown  the  brighter 
for  every  cross.  Through  death  and  the  grave,  then, 
look  forward  with  hope,  with  delight,  to  that  holy  and 
blessed  world,  where  no  want  will  remain  to  be  sup- 
plied, no  danger  to  be  averted,  no  sin  to  pollute,  no 
sorrow  to  sadden ;  where  the  Lamb  that  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne  shall  feed  you,  and  lead  you  in  green 
pastures  and  by  the  still  waters ;  and  God  shall  wipe 
away  all  tears  from  your  eyes.  May  God  Almighty 
bless  you,  and  give  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace, 
for  his  name's  sake  !     Amen. 


SERMON   XYII. 

RESTRAINING    PRAYER. 

Job  XV.  4.    And  restrainest  prayer  before  God. 

The  duties  of  religion  are  made  up  of  those  we  owe 
to  God  and  our  fellow-men.  Among  those  we  ow^e  to 
God,  prayer  holds  a  place  of  high  and  acknowledged 
importance.  God  is  the  hearer  of  prayer.  No  man 
can  be  a  Christian,  or  can  ever  become  one,  who  does 
not  seek  to  become  so  by  prayer.  No  man  who  is  a 
Christian  already  can  grow  in  grace,  be  encouraged  in 
his  duty,  strengthened  in  his  hopes,  or  comforted  in  his 
trials,  who  cannot  often  say  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Blessed 
be  God  who  hath  not  turned  away  my  prayer,  nor  his 
rnercy  from  me." 

Yet  what  multitudes  are  there  who  "  restrain  prayer 
before  God  !"  Some  pray  very  irregularly  ;  some  sel- 
dom pray ;  some  never  pray  at  all. 

If  we  search  for  the  secret  cause  of  restraining 
prayer,  we  shall  find  it  in  a  prayerless  heart ;  if  the 
heart  were  right,  men  could  no  more  live  without 
prayer  than  without  their  daily  bread.  They  would 
be  irresistibly  drawn  to  the  mercy-seat  by  cords  of 
love ;  they  could  not  be  happy  without  habitual  fellow- 
ship with  their  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  But  there 
are  causes  for  restraining  prayer  which  are  more  defi- 
nite than  this  general  one,  and  which  we  shall  employ 
a  few  moments  in  specifying. 


RESTRAINING  PRAYER.  JQS 

1.  In  the  first  place,  there  are  those  who  feel  that  they 
do  not  know  how  to  pray.  They  sometimes  try,  but  are 
discouraged ;  they  have  neither  the  grace  of  prayer,  nor 
the  gift.  They  cannot  give  utterance  to  their  requests, 
and  know  not  indeed  what  requests  to  utter.  They 
can  speak  to  their  fellow-men,  but  cannot  address  the 
great  and  holy  God.  They  are  shut  up  whenever  they 
attempt  to  do  so.  They  are  not  in  the  habit  of  it ;  it 
is  altogether  out  of  their  Kne  of  business ;  and  were 
they  to  attempt  it,  it  would  be  such  a  novelty,  that 
they  would  be  startled  at  the  sound  of  their  own  voice. 
They  often  take  the  name  of  God  in  vain,  but  it  is 
very  difficult  for  them  to  speak  of  him,  or  to  him,  in 
earnest.  They  are  often  heard  profanely  to  call  upon 
God  to  damn  them;  but  know  not  how  to  lift  their 
eyes  to  heaven,  and  like  the  publican  in  the  parable, 
smite  upon  their  heart  and  say,  "  God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner !" 

2.  There  are  others  who  restrain  prayer,  because 
they  are  not  satisfied  with  their  prayers.  They  can- 
not make  a  good  prayer,  nor  pray  as  well  as  others. 
They  have  not  found  in  their  prayers  that  aliment. to  a 
proud  and  self-righteous  heart,  which  they  looked  for. 
Good  men  also  there  are,  who  restrain  prayer  because 
they  have  little  or  no  comfort  in  the  exercise.  The 
spirit  of  adoption  does  not  always  rest  upon  them, 
whereby  they  say,  Abba,  Father!  They  cannot  al- 
ways fix  their  minds  upon  the  duty  in  which  they  are 
employed ;  nor  upon  God  their  portion.  Their  hearts 
are  sluggish  and  cold,  nor  are  their  desires  and  affec- 
tions moved,  as  they  hoped  they  would  be,  in  fellow- 
ship with  their  Maker.  They  do  not  enjoy  these  strong 
inducements  to  prayer,  and  the  devil  tempts  them,  and 


184  RESTRAINING  PRAYER. 

they  are  tempted  by  their  own  hearts,  to  restrain  this 
exercise.  The  seasons  of  prayer  become  insipid  and 
dull ;  they  have  no  elevating,  or  even  composing  and 
tranquillizing  views  of  the  things  that  are  not  seen  and 
eternal,  no  spiritual  joys,  and  no  light  in  the  dark  night 
of  their  affliction.  And  they  restrain  prayer  before 
God,  and  say  in  their  hearts,  "  What  profit  shall  we 
have  if  we  pray  unto  him  ?" 

3.  Some  restrain  prayer,  because  their  pra3^ers  are 
not  answered.  This  appointed  means  of  blessing  does 
not  seem  to  obtain  the  blessing  they  seek.  The  an- 
swer fails,  or  is  long  delayed,  and  they  have  no  courage 
to  urge  their  requests,  and  ''  quietly  hope,  and  wait  for 
the  salvation  of  God." 

4.  Others  restrain  prayer,  because  they  are  so  sensi- 
ble of  their  vileness  that  they  are  persuaded  God  will 
not  regard  them.  Their  sins  drive  them  from  God, 
rather  than  to  God.  They  are  greatly  distressed  on 
account  of  them,  and  are  afraid  to  pray.  How  can 
such  a  sinner  as  I  am  lift  up  my  face  before  him  ? 
What  hope  can  there  be  for  me  ?  It  is  mockery,  it  is 
insult  for  such  a  wretch  to  pray  !  The  great  Adver- 
sary often  employs  the  sins  of  men,  and  their  own 
painful  sense  of  sin,  thus  to  keep  them  away  from  God. 

5.  There  is  also  a  large  class  of  persons  who  restrain 
prayer,  because  they  are  resolved  on  continuing  in  sin. 
There  is  great  weight  in  the  maxim,  "  Praying  makes 
men  leave  off  sinning,  and  sinning  makes  them  leave 
off  praying."  The  man  who  is  in  the  habit  of  prayer 
cannot  pray,  even  if  he  deliberately  purposes  to  com- 
mit any  particular  sin.  If  he  attempts  to  go  to  the 
throne  of  grace,  and  bow  his  knees  before  God;  he  * 
cannot  speak,  he  dare  not  pray ;  there  is  a  struggle  in 


RESTRAINING  PRAYER.  185 

his  heart,  and  he  must  give  up  his  premeditated  sin,  or 
give  up  prayer.  "  If  I  regard  iniquity  in  my  heart," 
says  the  Psalmist,  "  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me."  The 
commission,  and  much  more  the  practice,  of  the  most 
secret  sin,  will  prove  an  insurmountable  barrier  to 
free  access  to  God.  Any  idol  sin,  or  cherished  lust, 
which  the  sinner  feels  he  cannot  relinquish,  seals  the 
lips  of  prayer.  It  is  like  a  corroding,  wasting  worm, 
that  preys  upon  the  heart,  and  eats  out  the  desire  of 
prayer.  "  He  is  not  a  God  that  hath  pleasure  in  wick- 
edness, neither  shall  evil  dwell  with  him."     I  add, 

6.  Some  there  are  who  restrain  prayer,  because  they 
are  not  willing  to  follow  out  the  spirit  of  their  prayers 
in  those  correlative  duties  which  their  prayers  suggest. 
There  are  duties  suggested  by  their  prayers,  and  obli- 
gations implied  in  them,  the  neglect  of  which  is  fla- 
grantly inconsistent  with  their  prayers.  The  con- 
science of  a  man  who  prays  in  his  closet,  is  rarely  so 
torpid,  but  he  is  sensible  he  ought  to  act  up  to  his 
prayers,  and  to  live  as  a  man  of  prayer  ought  to  live. 
If  he  does  not  mean  to  maintain  a  reproachless  deport- 
ment before  his  fellow-men,  he  will  be  embarrassed  in 
his  prayers,  and  will  probably  restrain  them  before  God. 
Those  who  are  not  willing  and  desirous  to  perform 
every  Christian  duty,  and  do  not  earnestly  implore 
grace  to  enable  them  so  to  do,  are  rarely  brought  to 
their  knees.  Their  prayers  would  condemn  them ; 
they  are  ashamed  to  pray.  A  prayerful  spirit  will  not 
allow  a  man  to  remain  quiet  under  any  known  sin,  or  the 
omission  of  any  known  duty.  He  must  give  no  quarter 
to  his  negligence,  because  his  negligence  will  give  him 
no  rest  till  it  is  either  abandoned  and  reformed,  or  roots 
out  all  the  spirit  of  prayer. 


186  RESTRAINING  PRAYER. 

Such  are  some  of  the  considerations  which  lead  men 
to  restrain  prayer  before  God. 

II.  Let  us  now,  in  the  second  place,  direct  our 
thoughts  to  the  duty  of  resisting  this  unhallowed  in- 
fluence, and  of  guarding  our  minds  against  these,  and 
all  other  restraints  to  prayer. 

The  nature  of  prayer  itself  shows  that  it  is  a  duty, 
and  one  which  nothing  may  restrain.  It  is  the  dictate 
of  nature,  of  reason,  of  conscience,  and  of  piety ;  and 
by  restraining  it,  we  violate  the  strongest  obligations. 
But  to  spread  out  this  thought  over  a  somewhat  wider 
surface,  I  remark, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  prayer  is  a  duty  commanded 
hy  God.  With  all  the  authority  with  which  he  ever 
addresses  men  in  his  word,  he  says,  "  I  will  that  men 
pray  everywhere,  lifting  up  holy  hands,  without  wrath 
and  doubting."  Elsewhere  he  says,  "  Pray  without 
ceasing  ;" — "  pray  with  all  prayer  and  supplication  in 
the  spirit : — "  continue  instant  in  prayer."  There  is 
no  more  weighty,  or  powerful  reason  for  prayer,  than 
this  command  of  AlmigJity  God.  There  is,  there  can 
be  no  excuse  for  neglect  of  so  plain  a  duty,  and  violat- 
ing so  plain  a  command  ;  and  those  who  violate  it  must 
be  self-condemned  and  speechless. 

2.  Prayer  is  necessary  in  order  to  preserve  a  right 
state  of  moral  feeling  in  our  own  hearts.  Men  have 
no  sense  of  God's  being  and  government ;  nor  of  their 
own  obligations,  dependence,  and  sins  ;  nor  of  the  di- 
vine goodness  and  mercy,  if  they  never  pray.  They 
can  never  become  Christians  without  prayer.  They 
live  without  the  fear  of  God,  and  without  his  favor. 
What  must  be  the  state  of  that  man's  mind  who  never 
asks  God  for  anything,  and  never  thanks  him  for  any- 


RESTRAINING  PRAYER.  jg? 

thing ;  who  never  seeks  his  favor,  nor  deprecates  his 
wrath. 

3.  Prayer  is  the  appointed  means  of  obtaining  the 
gr^eatest  and  most  needed  blessings.  God  says,  "  Ask 
and  ye  shall  receive."  The  Saviour  says,  "•  Whatso- 
ever ye  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  shall  give  it 
you."  No  matter  what  our  condition,  or  dangers,  or 
wants,  or  temptations,  or  trials,  we  shall  never  be  for- 
saken of  God  so  long  as  we  truly  seek  his  grace.  He 
gives  blessings  not  a  few  to  men  who  never  pray  ;  but 
he  withholds  more  and  greater  blessings  from  them  be- 
cause they  are  not  asked  for.  Do  you  need  an  en- 
lightened mind,  a  tender  conscience,  and  an  humble 
heart ;  do  you  need  the  pardon  of  sin,  and  the  influence 
of  his  Spirit  to  quicken  and  sanctify  you  ;  do  you  need 
Heaven's  direction  from  day  to  day,  and  from  hour  to 
hour,  and  from  moment  to  moment ;  do  you  need 
peace  and  comfort ;  do  you  need  a  "  friend  that  stick- 
eth  closer  than  a  brother,"  when  all  earthly  friends 
die ;  forget  not  that  no  good  thing  will  God  withhold 
from  all-powerful  prayer. 

4.  No  man  is  extensively  useful  without  prayer. 
Prayer  has  wondrous  influence  in  leading  men  to  a 
useful  life.  They  are  very  apt  to  live  as  they  pray. 
Intercourse  with  God  governs  our  intercourse  with  the 
world,  and  the  men  of  the  world.  It  gives  firmness 
and  decision  in  opposing  what  is  wrong,  in  resisting 
false  maxims,  and  fashionable  vices  ;  while  it  makes  the 
mind  steadfast  and  immovable  in  what  is  ridit.  It 
wakes  up  the  soul  and  makes  it  ready  for  every  good 
work.  No  benevolent  effort  will  be  constant  and 
vigorous,  that  is  not  cherished  by  prayer ;  no  zeal 
burn  with  a  pure  and  unceasing  flame,  that  is  not 


188  RESTRAINING  PRAYER. 

kindled  and  fed  at  God's  altar.  Men  will  not  rise 
above  their  own  selfishness,  they  will  not  deny  them- 
selves, and  give  their  heart,  their  time,  their  influence, 
their  property  to  doing  good,  unless  they  are  men  of 
prayer.  It  is  at  the  mercy-seat  that  the  great  impulse 
is  imparted,  which  is  the  instrument  of  conveying  great 
and  extended  blessings  to  this  guilty  world.  Prayer  is 
indispensable  to  prepare  the  mind  to  meet  the  difficul- 
ties, contend  with  the  enemies,  struggle  with  the  dan- 
gers, and  survive  the  discouragements  which  every- 
where oppose  the  accomplishment  of  almost  every  great 
and  good  work.  Prayer  takes  hold  on  Almighty  strength, 
and  allies  itself  with  all-conquering  grace.  "  They  that 
wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their  strength." 

5.  Prayer  is  the  best  and  surest  antidote  to  a  vain 
and  useless  confidence  in  an  arm  offiesh.  It  is  no  easy 
lesson  to  learn,  that  all  our  help  must  come  from  God. 
*'  Woe  unto  them  who  go  down  to  Egypt  for  help !" 
"  Cursed  is  the  man  that  trusteth  in  man,  and  maketh 
flesh  his  arm,  and  whose  heart  departeth  from  the  Lord 
his  God !"  The  wisest  and  best  of  the  human  race 
are  worms,  and  no  men.  In  want  and  woe,  in  trouble 
and  in  danger,  in  doubt  and  perplexity,  compared  with 
the  Living  God,  "  miserable  comforters  are  they  all." 
"  God  is  our  refuge  and  strength."  No  matter  what 
our  condition,  our  desires  and  aims,  our  plans  and 
efforts,  our  hopes  and  fears ;  "  except  the  Lord  build  the 
house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it."  A  single  change 
in  human  affairs,  a  single  change  in  the  winds  which  the 
God  of  heaven  holds  in  his  fists,  may  spoil  all  our  hopes  in 
creatures.  O  how  delightful  it  is  to  say  with  the  Psalm- 
ist, *'  I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes  beyond  the  everlasting 
hills  whence  cometh  my  help  :  my  help  is  in  the  Lord 


RESTRAINING  PRAYER.  jqq 

who  made  heaven  and  earth  !"  And  where  do  crea- 
tures learn  this  ?  where  do  they  say  this  ?  where  do 
they  feel  it  ?  It  is  prayer  alone  that  thus  leads  the 
soul  to  God.  It  is  no  voice  of  creatures  that  can  in- 
spire us  with  hope ;  it  is  no  created  arm,  faint  and 
weary,  that  can  give  us  help  in  danger,  and  make  our 
way  prosperous.  Heaven's  own  voice  alone  can  say, 
"  When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with 
thee ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow 
thee:  w^hen  thou  walkest  through  the  fire  thou  shalt 
not  be  burnt,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee  ; 
for  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  thy 
Redeemer !"  Creatures  control  not  our  condition  and 
destiny  ;  God  can  control  them  by  a  word.  They  can- 
not promise  what  he  promises.  Well  did  he  say  to  the 
heathen,  "Go  and  call  upon  your  gods,  and  let  them 
save  thee,  if  they  can  save  thee !"  Nothing  like  prayer 
teaches  us  the  vanity  of  all  other  confidence.  Won- 
ders, wonders  upon  wonders  have  been  done  in  answer 
to  prayer,  when  all  around  us  has  been  full  of  darkness, 
and  when  human  helpers  have  been  no  better  than 
senseless  idols. 

G.  I  remark,  in  the  sixth  and  last  place,  prayer  he- 
comes  us  as  dying  men,  and  men  who  are  hasting  to  the 
judgment  and  eternity.  Every  man,  not  excepting  the 
ungodly  infidel,  feels  that  he  needs  the  divine  presence 
and  favor  when  he  comes  to  die.  Nothing  prepares 
men  for  death  and  eternity,  who  restrain  prayer.  Let 
them  neglect  this  appointed  means  of  preparation,  and 
the  hour  of  death  proves  a  sad  hour.  It  is  an  awful 
spectacle  to  see  a  prayerless  man  die.  But  how  tran- 
quil the  scene,  how  delightful  the  view,  to  see  the 
young,  or  the  old  breathe  out  their  departing  spirits  in 


190  RESTRAINING  PRAYER. 

humble  and  believing  prayer !  Who  would  not  die  in 
the  very  act  of  prayer,  and  with  the  very  language  of 
prayer  on  his  lips  ?  Men  who  restrain  prayer  in  life 
and  health,  may  pray  when  they  come  to  die,  but  their 
prayers  will  be  bitter  prayers.  They  shall  call,  but 
God  will  not  answer.  To  live  without  prayer,  to  be 
wasted  by  disease,  or  to  be  cut  off  by  sudden  calamity, 
— to  be  swallowed  up  in  the  grave  without  hope, — what 
a  life,  what  a  death,  were  this!  Do  not  put  these 
solemn  reflections  far  from  you,  and  say  that  they  are 
gloomy  thoughts.  They  are  pensive  and  gloomy  sub- 
jects because  they  are  not  thought  of.  Do  not  say  you 
have  no  time  to  think  of  them ;  you  must  have  time  to 
think  of  them,  because  you  must  have  time  to  die. 

"  stoop  down  my  thoughts  that  used  to  rise, 
Converse  a  while  with  death  ; 
Think  how  a  gasping  mortal  lies 
And  pants  away  his  breath. 

"  Ilis  quivering  lip  hangs  feebly  down, 
His  pulse  is  faint  and  few  ; 
Then,  speechless,  with  a  doleful  groan 
He  bids  the  world  adieu. 

"  But  O  the  soul  that  never  dies ! 
At  once  it  leaves  the  clay  ! 
Ye  thoughts  pursue  it  where  it  flies, 
And  track  its  wondrous  way. 

"  Up  to  the  courts  where  angels  dwell. 
It  mounts  triumphing  there ; 
Or  devils  plunge  it  down  to  hell 
In  infinite  despair, 

"  And  must  my  body  faint  and  die  '? 
And  must  my  soul  remove '? 
O  for  some  guardian  angel  nigh, 
To  bear  it  safe  above !" 


RESTRAINING  PRAYER.  I9I 

The  end  of  the  man  of  prayer  is  peace.  The  days 
of  his  mourning  are  ended ;  his  struggle  with  sin  is 
over ;  he  is  dismissed  from  toil,  and  gone  to  his  rest. 
They  are  not  unthought  of,  unpremeditated  scenes,  on 
which  he  enters ;  death  has  but  removed  the  veil,  and 
broken  down  the  dense  wall  that  separated  him  from 
the  God  he  loves,  and  the  object  of  his  prayers.  He 
has  come  home  to  his  Father  who  is  in  heaven.  His 
immortal  spirit  is  there  a  few  hours,  it  may  be  a  few 
moments,  after  it  leaves  its  forsaken  clay.  Angels  bear 
it  to  Abraham's  bosom.  And  when,  from  the  long 
sleep  of  the  tomb,  he  awakes,  it  is  to  stand  in  his  pres- 
ence whose  favor  and  fellowship  he  so  often  sought  and 
enjoyed  in  the  present  world;  to  behold  his  face  in 
righteousness,  whose  love,  and  the  light  of  whose  coun- 
tenance, so  often  cheered  him  this  side  the  grave. 

It  was  of  men  of  prayer  that  the  Saviour  once  said, 
"I  give  unto  them  eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never 
perish,  neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand." 
It  was  to  men  of  prayer  that  he  said,  "  I  go  to  prepare 
a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go,  I  will  come  again  and 
receive  you  unto  myself;  that  where  I  am,  there  ye 
may  be  also." 

Ye  who  are  men  of  prayer,  take  courage.  "  Go  on 
your  way,  till  the  end  be ;  for  you  shall  rest,  and  stand 
in  your  lot,  at  the  end  of  the  days."  When  Jesus 
shall  come  with  great  power  and  glory,  and  erect  his 
throne  in  the  clouds ;  when  the  angels  shall  be  sent 
forth  to  gather  together  the  men  of  prayer  from  the 
earth  and  the  sea ;  you  also  shall  be  caught  up  to  meet 
the  Lord  in  the  air,  to  be  openly  acknowledged  and 
acquitted  by  your  Judge,  and  to  enter  into  his  joy. 

Ye  who  cast  off  fear  and  restrain  prayer,  must  look 


192  RESTRAINING   PRAYER. 

for  a  diflferent  allotment.  Remaining  as  you  are,  you 
will  die  in  your  sins,  make  your  grave  with  the  wicked, 
come  forth  in  the  resurrection  of  the  unjust,  stand  at 
the  left  hand  of  your  Judge,  and  hear  that  melancholy 
sentence,  Depart  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  pre- 
pared for  the  devil  and  his  angels.  These  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  the  righteous 
into  life  eternal. 

Which  of  these  two  characters,  which  of  these  two 
allotments,  will  you  choose  ?  Which  life,  which  death, 
which  resurrection,  which  place  at  the  judgment,  which 
allotment  for  eternity  ?  And  forget  not  this  question 
is  to  be  decided  by  another ;  and  that  is,  Whether  you 
will  restrain  prayer  before  God  ? 


SERMON  XVIII. 

THE  FEAR  OF  GOD  THE  GREAT  PRESERVATIVE 
FROM  SIN. 

Nehemiah  v.  15,     But  so  did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God. 

Men  are  everywhere,  and  constantly  exposed  to  do 
wrong.  They  are  "  prone  to  evil  from  their  youth," 
and  easily  led  to  commit  it  from  the  evil  disposition 
which  they  bring  into  the  world,  and  carry  with  them 
to  their  latest  breath.  They  are  allm'ed  to  it  by  the 
example  of  others  ;  by  the  love  of  pleasure,  or  of  gain ; 
and  they  are  tempted  to  it  by  wicked  men,  and  by  the 
devil,  the  great  Seducer. 

There  are  strong  and  persuasive  motives  to  keep 
them  from  sinning ;  but  there  is  one  that  is  more 
persuasive,  and  more  powerful  than  all  others.  The 
Prophet  Nehemiah,  who  utters  the  language  of  the 
text,  was  a  very  learned  and  great  man ;  he  was,  too, 
a  very  decided  and  bold  man.  He  does  not  seem  to 
be  afraid  of  anything ;  yet  was  there  one  thing  which 
no  threats  and  no  promises  could  induce  him  to  do ; 
and  that  was  to  sin  against  God.  He  was  afraid  of 
doing  wrong.  The  fear  of  God  ruled  his  heart,  and 
kept  him  from  evil.  In  view  of  a  long  course  of 
wicked  conduct,  which  was  practised  by  others,  he 
could  say  with  an  honest  conscience,  "  So  did  not  I, 
because  of  the  fear  of  God." 

9 


194  THE  FEAR  OF   GOD 

Was  he  not  a  happy  man  ?  Would  not  men  always 
be  more  happy  than  they  are,  if  when  accused  of  sin, 
or  sorely  tempted,  or  thinking  of  the  sins  of  others,  they 
could  honestly  and  thankfully  say,  "  So  did  not  I,  be- 
cause of  the  fear  of  God  ?" 

*'  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  the  beginning  of  wisdom." 
It  is  a  powerful,  and  most  beautiful  principle  of  conduct, 
this  fear  of  God.  It  is  something  which  grows  out  of 
love  to  him,  and  is  strongest  in  those  minds  which  love 
him  most.  Every  good  man  is  deeply  ajffected  at  the 
thought  of  incurring  the  displeasure  of  God.  The  hap- 
piness of  such  a  man  consists  in  enjoying  God's  love 
and  favor.  He  is  afraid  if  God  frowns  ;  he  cares  little 
who  frowns  upon  him,  so  long  as  his  Heavenly  Father 
smiles.  As  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear,  so  pure  fear 
casteth  out  love.  There  is  a  mere  tormenting  dread 
of  punishment  that  has  no  religion  in  it ;  it  is  such  a 
fear  of  God  as  the  devils  have ;  it  is  nothing  more. 
Yet  is  it  by  no  means  adverse  to  the  spirit  of  true  piety 
to  fear  and  tremble  before  him,  who  is  '^  able  to  destroy 
both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  The  Saviour  says  to  his 
disciples,  "Fear  him."  Many  a  time  have  I  blessed 
God  for  my  fears.  I  am  thankful  when  he  "  visits  my  in- 
iquity with  the  rod,  and  my  transgression  with  stripes." 
For  my  own  part,  I  am  glad  there  is  such  a  place  as  hell, 
throwing  forth  its  smoke  and  its  flames,  and  warning 
me  not  to  come  too  near  its  consuming  fires. 

If  you  are  duly  acquainted  with  God's  greatness  and 
goodness,  his  justice  and  mercy,  his  wrath  and  his  love, 
his  displeasure  and  his  approbation,  you  will  feel  that 
internal  reverence  and  regard  for  him,  which  will  re- 
strain you  from  thoughtlessly  provoking  him  to  anger. 
There  are  no  wickeder  men  in  the  world  than  those 


THE  GREAT  PRESERVATIVE  FROM  SIN.    I95 

who  care  not  for  God,  and  pay  no  just  reverence  to 
him  before  whom  angels  bow. 

Of  all  the  motives  to  keep  men  from  sinning,  the  fear 
of  God  is  the  best  and  worthiest.  Some  persons  are 
kept  from  sinning  from  a  regard  to  their  own  character 
and  reputation ;  some  because  their  wickedness  is  too 
expensive,  and  they  cannot  afford  it ;  others  because 
they  do  not  wish  to  displease  and  wound  those  they 
love ;  others  from  the  fear  of  human,  and  perhaps  legal 
penalties.  They  may  be  thankful  to  be  preserved  from 
sin  by  any  motive ;  they  need  all  these  motives  to  re- 
strain them ;  yet  it  is  not  every  motive  that  is  right, 
and  that  God  approves.  There  are  higher  and  wor- 
thier motives  than  such  as  these.  The  most  virtuous 
minds  in  the  universe  do  not  abstain  from  sin  from  such 
motives ;  they  abstain  from  it  because  it  is  wrong,  be- 
cause it  is  displeasing  to  God,  and  on  account  of  its 
contrariety  to  him.  The  reason  why  God  forbids  sin, 
is,  that  he  hates  it ;  and  the  reason  why  he  hates  it,  is 
that  it  is  wrong,  and  opposed  to  his  own  holy  and  ador- 
able nature.  To  be  restrained  from  it  by  any  other  mo- 
tive than  that  it  is  displeasing  to  God,  is  to  be  governed 
by  motives  that  are  inferior  to  that  which  he  requires. 
This  is  the  highest  motive,  and  the  only  motive  that 
God  approves.  It  is  not  sterling  virtue  to  be  prevented 
from  sinning  from  any  other  motive  than  such  a  fear 
of  God. 

The  fear  of  God  is  also  the  most  effectual  preserva- 
tive from  sin.  Those  who  fear  God  most,  sin  the  least ; 
did  they  always  fear  him,  they  would  never  sin.  Un- 
less men  refrain  from  it  for  this  reason,  there  is  no  cer- 
tainty that  they  ever  will  be  prevented  from  committing 
it.     They  will  all  the  while  love  it  at  heart ;  and  what 


196  THE  FEAR  OP   GOD 

is  loving  it  at  heart,  but,  in  the  sight  of  Qod,  commit- 
ting it !  What  motive  is  there,  that  is  sure  to  restrain 
a  man  from  outward  wickedness,  so  long  as  he  loves  it 
at  heart?  A  cautious  regard  for  his  reputation  will 
not  restrain  him,  because  he  may  commit  it  secretly. 
A  wise  reference  to  his  health,  or  his  property,  will  not 
restrain  him,  because  some  sins  do  not  expose  health, 
and  cost  nothing.  The  love  of  others,  and  the  penalty 
of  the  civil  law,  will  not  restrain  him,  because  there  are 
sins  which  do  not  expose  him  to  these  exactions.  But 
he  cannot  reason  thus  with  regard  to  God.  God  is 
everywhere.  He  is  sure,  if  he  sins,  to  meet  God's 
frown.  The  fear  of  God  will  restrain  him,  when  no- 
thing else  can  do  it.  He  may  run  every  other  hazard ; 
but  he  cannot  run  away  from  God.  He  may  trifle 
with  every  other  restraint ;  but  he  cannot  trifle  with 
God.  Take  away  all  fear  of  God  from  a  creature  so 
prone  to  sin  as  man  is,  and  what  influence  would  other 
motives  exert  upon  him,  and  how  long  would  they  exert 
it  ?  It  were  but  to  let  loose  the  evil  passions  of  men 
from  this  single  bond,  and  with  an  overwhelming  tide 
of  wickedness  they  would  be  swept  down  the  precipice. 
Many  are  the  men  who  would  have  sinned  fearfully  in 
times  past,  and  who  would  now  commit  iniquity  with 
greediness,  but  for  the  fear  of  God.  "How  shall  1 
commit  this  great  wickedness  and  sin  against  God !" 
This  single  consideration  effects  what  nothing  else  can. 
Men  are  sometimes  artful  in  sinning ;  but  they  cannot 
circumvent  their  Maker.  They  are  bold,  too ;  they 
fear  not  men ;  but  they  are  afraid  of  God.  The  fear 
of  God  can  restrain.  *'  If  I  take  the  wings  of  the 
morning,  and  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea, 
even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me,  and  thy  right  hand 


THE  GREAT  PRESERVATIVE  FROM  SIN.    197 

shall  hold  me !"  These  are  higher  and  more  effective 
motives  than  any  which  this  world  can  suggest.  There 
is  a  supreme  Governor,  an  Almighty  Father,  a  righteous 
Judge. 

The  fear  of  God  is  also  the  most  universal  preserva- 
tive from  sin.  It  preserves  from  every  kind  and  class 
of  sins,  and  extends  its  restraints  to  all  places,  times, 
and  circumstances.  The  fear  of  man  will  restrain  from 
sins  of  a  certain  kind ;  but  the  fear  of  God  has  a  ten- 
dency to  restrain  from  sins  of  every  kind.  It  will  restrain 
not  only  from  outward  sins,  but  from  those  that  are 
within  ;  not  only  from  sins  against  man,  but  from  those 
that  are  against  God.  Where  the  fear  of  God  rules 
our  hearts,  we  shall  have  "  respect  to  all  his  command- 
ments." If  our  hearts  are  thus  ruled,  our  lips,  our 
hands,  and  our  feet  will  be  under  the  same  control. 

You  have  known  those  who  were  very  careful  not 
to  commit  some  particular  sins,  but  quite  careless  in 
regard  to  committing  others.  Some  men  are  intem- 
perate, who  are  never  dishonest;  some  are  profane, 
who  are  never  intemperate  ;  some  scarcely  know  how 
to  speak  the  truth,  and  yet  they  are  industrious  and 
sober.  Now,  what  these,  and  such  like  persons  need, 
in  order  to  make  them  better  men,  is  the  fear  of  God. 
They  would  commit  none  of  these  vices,  and  would 
practise  every  virtue,  if  they  feared  God. 

You  have  known  those,  too,  who  have  been  addicted 
to  particular  sins,  become  reformed  in  some  respects, 
without  becoming  wholly  reformed ;  nay,  so  far  from  be- 
ing reformed,  that  they  have  only  adopted  some  new  cour- 
ses of  wickedness.  The  motives  under  which  these 
persons  act  are  very  obvious.  One  sin  interferes  with 
another,  and  they  are  obliged  to  lop  it  off.     There  are 


igg  THE   FEAR  OP   GOD 

sins  of  youth  which  are  exchanged  for  the  sins  of  mid- 
dle hfe  ;  and  there  are  sins  of  middle  life,  which  are 
exchanged  for  the  sins  of  old  age.  Youth  keeps  them 
from  the  sins  of  age  ;  age  keeps  them  from  the  sins  of 
youth ;  but  the  fear  of  God  will  preserve  them  from 
both.  One  vocation  will  preserve  them  from  the  sins 
of  another  vocation  ;  but  the  fear  of  God  will  preserve 
them  from  the  sins  of  every  vocation.  Poverty  will 
keep  them  from  some  sins,  and  riches  will  keep  them 
from  others  ;  but  the  fear  of  God  will  keep  them  both 
in  poverty  and  riches.  Rank,  station,  and  office  may 
keep  them  from  some  sins,  and  dependence  and  low 
condition  may  keep  them  from  others  ;  but  the  fear  of 
God  will  restrain  them  in  every  station  of  human  life. 
Avarice  may  restrain  them  from  expensive  sins,  and 
prodigality  may  restrain  them  from  the  sins  of  avarice ; 
but  the  fear  of  God  will  restrain  both  the  sins  of  av- 
arice and  prodigality.  The  sea  may  restrain  them 
from  some  sins,  and  the  land  from  others  ;  but  the  fear 
of  God  will  keep  them  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea. 
There  are  motives  that  will  induce  men  to  avoid  sins 
that  are  scandalous,  that  will  prevent  them  from  being 
singular  in  wickedness,  that  will  keep  them  from  gross 
and  degrading  iniquity,  and  that  will  now  and  then 
keep  them  from  all  open  sins  ;  but  the  fear  of  God  will 
keep  them  from  sins  that  are  applauded,  that  are  sanc- 
tioned by  custom  and  example,  that  are  fashionable 
and  splendid.  His  eyes  are  upon  the  ways  of  men ; 
he  seeth  not  as  man  seeth  ;  he  judges  through  the  dark 
cloud ;  no  secrecy,  no  solitude  hides  from  his  all-pen- 
etrating eye. 

In  view  of  the  preceding  thoughts,  there  is  a  loud  call 


THE  GREAT  PRESERVATIVE  PROM  SIN.    199 

on  all  of  us  for  honest  self-inspection.  None  of  us  are 
without  sin  ;  yet  should  we  greatly  desire  that  our  sins 
should  be  detected  and  cast  out.  Some  of  you  may 
perhaps  be  satisfied,  because  you  do  not  take  God's  name 
in  vain ;  some  because  you  are  not  dishonest ;  some 
because  you  are  not  licentious  and  impure.  But  can  you 
say,  "  So  do  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God  ?"  Is  there 
any  sin  from  which  you  abstain,  on  a  religious  account, 
and  because  you  fear  God  ?  Of  how  many  evil  crimes 
can  )^ou  say,  I  was  tempted,  but  did  not  yield  ;  I  might, 
and  should  have  committed  great  wickedness ;  but  *'  so 
did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God !" 

Cultivate,  then,  more  and  more,  an  honest  conscience. 
Let  not  your  mind  and  conscience  become  defiled, 
and  impaired  by  sin.  Never  silence  the  reproaches  of 
conscience.  Whoever  else  may  be  ignorant  of  your 
wickedness,  you  yourselves  are  privy  to  it.  And  it  is 
a  knowledge  that  never  can  be  obliterated.  A  sense 
of  guilt  is  painful  for  the  time ;  but  there  is  no  hope  of 
reform,  of  repentance,  of  pardon  through  the  blood  of 
Christ,  where  conscience  is  not  suffered  to  speak  out. 
When  she  speaks,  listen  ;  when  she  smites,  bear  the 
blow ;  else  will  the  wound  never  be  healed.  Plead 
guilty  to  her  charges,  and  bear  the  burden  to  him  who 
bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree. 

Be  careful,  too,  to  keep  your  hearts  in  the  fear  of 
God.  "  Happy  is  the  man  that  feareth  always."  Live 
in  the  habitual  fear  of  offending  God.  We  should  all 
be  afraid  of  offending  God.  We  are  not  safe  from  sin, 
from  soul-destroying  sin,  without  the  fear  of  God. 
That  life  is  the  happiest  life,  it  is  the  most  cheered  life, 
where  God  is  most  feared.     "  The  Lord  taketh  pleas- 


^00  THE   FEAR  OF   GOD,  ETC. 

ure  in  them  that  fear  him,  and  them  that  hope  in  his 
mercy."  Let  us  hear  the  conclusion  of  the  whole 
matter :  fear  God  and  keep  his  commandments,  for  this 
is  the  whole  duty,  the  whole  blessedness,  the  whole  and 
chief  end  of  man. 


SERMON   XIX. 

THE  WANDERER  RESTORED. 

Psalm  xxiii.  3.     He  restoreth  my  soul :  he  leadeth  me  in  the  patlis  of 
righteousness  for  his  name's  sake. 

It  is  remarkably  characteristic  of  the  Scriptures, 
that  in  their  free  and  abundant  use  of  figurative  lan- 
guage, they  borrow  their  imagery  from  the  simplest 
objects.  They  do  not  have  recourse  to  the  fine  arts, 
nor  to  the  extended  circle  of  the  sciences ;  for  these 
are  familiar  only  to  the  learned ;  but,  for  the  most  part, 
they  illustrate  and  impress  truth  by  images  borrowed 
from  the  appearances  and  productions  that  are  familiar 
to  common  minds. 

This  twenty-third  Psalm  furnishes  a  beautiful  illus- 
tration of  this  remark.  "  The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,  I 
shall  not  w^ant.  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green 
pastures ;  he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters.  He 
restoreth  my  soul ;  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  right- 
eousness, for  his  name's  sake."  In  our  reflections  upon 
this  clause  of  the  Psalm,  three  things  deserve  our  con- 
sideration. Men  are  wanderers  from  God :  God  him- 
self is  their  Restorer :  the  evidence  of  their  restoration 
is  the  fact,  that  they  are  led  in  the  paths  of  righteous- 
ness. 

I.  Men  are  wanderers  from  God. 

There  are  not  a  few  severe  and  humbling  delinea- 
9* 


202  THE  WANDERER  RESTORED. 

tions  of  human  apostasy  presented  in  the  Bible ;  while 
there  are  those  that  are  marked  by  affecting,  touching 
tenderness.  "  All  we,"  says  the  Prophet  Isaiah,  "  have 
gone  astray  like  lost  sheep ;  we  have  turned  every  one 
to  his  own  way."  There  is  not  a  good  man  on  earth, 
nor  a  redeemed  sinner  in  heaven,  but  has  been  brought 
to  this  sad  confession.  "  I  have  gone  astray,"  says  the 
Psalmist,  "like  a  lost  sheep;  seek  thy  servant,  for  I 
have  not  forgotten  thy  commandments."  "  My  people," 
saith  God,  by  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet  Jeremiah, 
"  hath  been  like  lost  sheep  ;  they  have  gone  from  moun- 
tain to  hill,  they  have  forgotten  their  resting  place." 

Some  have  indeed  wandered  farther,  and  more  vis- 
ibly than  others.  Some  have  been  restrained  from 
outbreaking  aberrations,  and  more  aggravated  sins,  by 
the  power  of  conscience,  by  the  force  of  education,  by 
afflictions,  and  by  the  strong  bonds  of  society  ;  but  all 
are  wanderers.  The  time  was  when  they  took  no  de- 
light in  God,  paid  no  regard  to  his  authority,  and  had 
no  thought  of  their  eternal  interests.  The  "  green 
pastures"  of  his  truth  and  grace  had  nothing  inviting 
to  their  corrupted  taste  ;  and  the  "  still  waters"  where 
the  divine  Shepherd  would  fain  lead  them,  had  to  them 
lost  all  their  sweetness.  A  desert  and  dry  land  as  it  is, 
this  world  was  their  portion ;  and  here,  under  its  sultry 
skies  and  barren  sands,  heedless  of  their  everlasting 
good,  they  sought  their  joys  from  the  phantoms  of 
earth,  and  time,  and  sense. 

This  spirit  of  wandering  is  never  effectually  cured 
this  side  the  grave.  Within  the  bosom  of  every  re- 
generated man,  there  is  still  "  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief 
in  departing  from  the  living  God."  God  is  not  always 
his  chief  joy ;  there  are  innate  and  strong  tendencies  to 


THE   WANDERER  RESTORED.  2Q3 

forsake  him  ;  there  are  backslidings  of  heart,  and  many 
a  sad  hour  when,  in  bitterness  of  spirit,  he  utters  the 
wish,  "  O  that  it  were  with  me,  as  in  months  past  !'* 
His  closet  is  sometimes  neglected,  or  the  devotions  of  it 
are  hurried  over  and  slightly  performed.  The  word  of 
God  remains  for  days  and  weeks  unconsulted,  and  when 
consulted,  is  a  sealed  book.  He  forsakes  the  assemblies 
of  God's  people,  some  idol  intrudes  itself  into  his  heart, 
the  Tempter  intwines  his  snares  about  him,  and  he 
falls  from  his  steadfastness.  He  is  a  wanderer  from 
the  fold.  He  is  houseless  and  homeless  ;  he  strays  amid 
the  dense  wilderness ;  beetling  cliffs  confront  him,  and 
he  trembles  on  the  steep  precipice.  His  retrospect  is 
the  retrospect  of  a  wanderer  ;  throughout  his  whole 
course,  he  gives  painful  proof  that  the  natural  disposi- 
tion of  his  heart  is  to  wander  from  God. 

Yet  he  does  not  wander  fatally,  nor  beyond  recall. 
He  may  look  to  a  happy  end  to  his  wanderings  and  his 
journey,  in  the  Canaan  above.  The  wanderer  shall  be 
restored ;  for  our  text  assures  us, 

II.  In  the  second  place,  that  God  is  the  restorer  of 
his  people. 

"  He  restoreth  my  soul."  The  Psalmist  himself  had 
been  a  good  shepherd,  and  had  jeopardized  his  life  for 
his  sheep.  He  knew  the  toils  and  cares  of  that  occu- 
pation, and  the  attention  that  was  necessary,  especially 
in  Eastern  countries,  to  the  most  useful,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  most  defenceless  of  all  the  creatures  which 
God  has  formed  for  the  service  of  man.  None  knew 
better  than  he,  how  to  bless  God  for  restoring  grace. 
Who  does  not  need  it  ?  Who  will  not  prize  it  ?  Who 
does  not  implore  it  ? 

To  restore  those  who  had  gone  astray,  to  "call  sin- 


204  THE  WANDERER  RESTORED. 

ners  to  repentance,"  is  the  employment  of  him  who,  in 
the  parable  of  the  ''  lost  sheep,"  is  represented  as  exe- 
cuting the  part  of  the  good  Shepherd.  None  return 
unsought.  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  to  seek  as  well  as 
to  save."  It  is  not  the  mere  note  of  alarm  sounding  in 
the  lands  where  they  wander,  that  reclaims  them ;  nor 
are  they  brought  back  by  the  mere  language  of  expos- 
tulation and  kindness ;  these  are  often  heard  and  re- 
peated, but  the  wanderer  heeds  not,  because  he  knows 
not  the  voice  that  invites  him.  No  earthly  and  no 
angelic  messenger,  be  his  message  ever  so  rich  in  in- 
struction, ever  so  terrific,  or  ever  so  winning,  can 
persuade  him  to  retrace  his  steps.  *'  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God,  behold  I,  even  I,  will  both  search  my 
sheep,  and  seek  them  out.  As  a  shepherd  seeketh  out 
his  flock  in  the  day  that  he  is  among  his  sheep  that  are 
scattered,  so  will  I  seek  out  my  sheep,  and  will  deliver 
them  out  of  all  the  places  where  they  have  been  scat- 
tered in  the  cloudy  and  dark  day.  And  I  will  feed 
them  in  a  good  pasture,  and  upon  the  high  moun- 
tains of  Israel  shall  their  fold  be.  I  will  feed  my  flock, 
and  will  cause  them  to  lie  down,  saith  the  Lord  God. 
And  I  will  set  up  one  Shepherd  over  them,  and  he 
shall  feed  them,  even  my  servant  David ;  he  shall  feed 
them,  and  he  shall  be  their  Shepherd." 

"  Jesus  sought  me  when  a  stranger, 
Wandering  from  the  fold  of  God ; 
He,  to  rescue  me  from  danger, 
Interposed  his  precious  blood." 

It  is  through  him  as  the  atoning  Saviour  that  men  have 
access  to  God ;  it  is  to  him  as  the  reigning  Saviour,  that 
they  look  for  protection  and  guidance.    His  Spirit  makes 


THE  WANDERER  RESTORED.  205 

the  message  of  his  truth  and  grace  effective.  If  you 
ask  his  restored  flock  how,  after  all  their  wanderings, 
they  got  in  the  fold ;  they  will  all  tell  you,  "  I  was  a 
child  of  wrath  even  as  others,  a  poor,  blind,  miserable 
wanderer  as  ever  the  God  of  grace  smiled  upon.  But 
from  being  once  far  off,  I  have  been  brought  nigh.  And 
I  long  to  tell  the  world,  that  it  is  by  the  grace  of  God  I 
am  what  I  am." 

The  methods  of  divine  grace  in  restoring  his  wan- 
dering people,  are  not  always  such  as  they  themselves 
anticipate,  or  would  desire.  They  are  affecting  lessons 
which  they  have  to  learn,  before  they  are  ever  sensible 
of  their  wandering.  It  may  be  that  idols  which  have 
ensnared  them  must  be  taken  away.  It  may  be  that 
this  world,  with  all  its  wealth  and  honor,  its  pride  and 
pleasure,  is  to  be  obscured  and  made  darker,  before  the 
crown  of  glory  shall  invite  and  allure  them.  It  may  be 
that  "lover  and  friend  must  be  put  far  from  them,  and 
their  acquaintance  into  darkness."  Obstructions  in 
the  path  of  holiness  must  be  removed,  besetting  sins  must 
be  mortified  and  crushed,  before  they  will  lay  aside 
every  weight,  and  press  forward  to  the  mark  of  the 
prize  of  their  high  calling.  God  himself  interposes,  and 
in  ways  that  bring  his  hand  distinctly  to  their  view, 
and  that  constrain  them  to  see  and  acknowledge  that 
he  is  displeased,  and  has  a  controversy  with  them. 
Their  heart  is  lifted  up,  and  he  humbles  them.  They  are 
presumptuous,  and  he  blasts  their  hopes.  They  trust  to 
themselves,  and  he  covers  them  with  shame.  He 
knows  how  to  restore  them,  and  by  what  means,  and 
when  to  apply  those  means  the  most  effectually.  His 
power  is  above  their  obduracy ;  his  grace  abounds 
even  more  than  their  abounding  sin.    He  subdues  them 


206  THE  WANDERER  RESTORED. 

by  that  grace,  and  by  that  grace  they  are  comforted. 
Not  till  then,  do  they  return  to  their  forsaken  God; 
but  then  they  do  so  most  willingly.  They  come  back 
into  the  fold ;  and  he  maketh  them  to  *'  lie  down 
in  green  pastures,  and  leadeth  them  beside  the  still 
waters." 

But,  in  order  to  put  the  sincerity  of  their  return  to 
its  true  and  proper  test,  we  are  instructed, 

III.  In  the  third  place,  that  the  evidence  of  their 
restoration  is  the  fact,  that  they  are  led  in  the  paths  of 
righteousness. 

"  He  restoreth  my  soul ;  he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths 
of  righteousness."  This  is  true  both  of  the  sinner  who 
is  just  brought  home  from  his  wanderings,  and  of  the 
saint,  who,  though  once  brought  home,  has  wandered, 
and  been  brought  back.  In  the  experience  of  every 
restored  wanderer,  there  is, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  ingenuous  reiientance  fo7'  the 
past.  There  is  a  thorough  conviction  of  departure 
from  God ;  of  its  reality,  its  inexcusable  wickedness, 
its  unspeakable  folly,  its  ruinous  tendency.  There 
is  ingenuous  sorrow  on  account  of  it,  and  abhorrence 
of  it  as  committed  against  God,  and  deep  self-loa.th- 
ing  for  it  as  in  itself  vile.  There  is  the  spirit  of  hu- 
miliation, of  self-abasement  before  God,  and  of  shame 
in  the  wrong  done,  and  for  the  wrong-doing.  There  is 
a  resolution  henceforth  to  forsake  sin ;  while  there  is 
no  purpose  of  allowance  for  it  in  time  to  come.  The 
sources  of  godly  sorrow  are  opened  by  every  discovery 
of  pardoning  mercy.  The  restored  "remembers,  and 
is  confounded,  and  never  opens  his  mouth  any  more 
because  of  his  shame,"  when  the  Lord  God  "  is  pacified 
toward  him  for  all  that  he  has  done." 


THE  WANDERER  RESTORED,  207 

2.  There  is  in  the  second  place,  a  hearty  acquiescence 
in  God's  method  of  restoring  and  saving  the  wandering 
and  the  lost.  There  is  a  delightful  view  of  that  way  of 
recovery,  which  demonstrates  his  righteousness,  and 
magnifies  his  law,  through  the  mediation  of  that  Sav- 
iour on  whom  the  Lord  hath  laid  the  iniquities  of  us 
all.  When  God  set  him  forth  to  be  a  propitiation 
through  faith  in  his  blood,  he  required  men  to  believe 
in  him,  and  to  submit  to  him  as  the  only  Saviour. 
Whenever  the  sinner  truly  returns  to  God,  he  renoun- 
ces his  own  works  as  the  ground  of  his  justification; 
he  consents  to  the  law  that  it  is  holy,  just,  and  good, 
though  it  condemns  him ;  he  receives  Christ  as  "  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness."  He  complies  with 
these  self-abasing  and  humbling  terms  of  the  gospel ; 
gives  God  the  throne,  and  lies  at  his  footstool.  Such 
views  of  sin  and  of  Christ  constitute  the  very  elements 
of  his  return,  and  the  first  principles  of  his  obedience. 
These  evidences  of  his  restoration. 

3.  Extend  themselves,  in  the  third  place,  to  a  cau- 
tious and  watchful  obedience  of  the  commandments  of 
God.  His  faith  is  but  a  name,  if  it  do  not  work  by 
love  ;  *'  it  is  dead,  being  alone."  And  his  repentance  is 
but  a  painful  regret  for  the  past,  if  it  bring  not  forth 
"  fruits  meet  for  repentance."  Without  this,  all  his 
apparently  religious  emotions,  and  all  his  professions  of 
return,  are  sounding  brass  and  tinkling  cymbal.  "  This 
is  the  love  of  God,  that  we  keep  his  commandments  ; 
and  his  commandments  are  not  grievous."  True  piety 
is  not  an  impulse  of  momentary  tenderness ;  it  is  not  a 
flush,  or  pang  of  emotion.  In  returning  to  the  God  from 
whom  they  have  wandered,  men  obey  not  impulses, 
but  principles.     They  are  not  the  suggestions  of  the 


208  THE  WANDERER  RESTORED. 

imagination  which  govern  them,  but  the  command- 
ments of  God.  These  are  the  supreme  laws  of  tneir 
reUgion  and  their  hves.  They  love  to  have  it  so. 
They  desire  to  honor  his  name,  who  has  brought  them 
out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light.  They  are 
devoted  to  his  service,  because  they  choose  him  for 
their  Master.  They  dare  to  be  singular  in  the  view 
of  men,  that  they  may  please  him  and  receive  his  appro- 
bation. They  do  indeed  sin  ;  every  day  they  sin  ;  but 
their  purposes  are  purposes  of  new  obedience.  None 
are  more  sensible  of  their  infirmity,  their  weakness, 
and  their  exposure  than  they ;  but  depending  on  the 
power  of  God,  they  are  bold  to  say,  that  they  mean  to 
go  forward  in  every  obvious  path  of  duty.  They  have 
no  stronger  desire  than  to  be  led  in  ways  of  righteous- 
ness, for  his  name's  sake ;  to  make  progress  in  these 
ways  ;  to  walk  onward  as  pilgrims  toward  the  heavenly 
city,  till  the  Good  Shepherd  shall  house  them  safely  in 
his  celestial  fold. 

There  is  one  more  thought  suggested  by  the  text, 
which  deserves  consideration.     It  is, 

IV.  In  the  fourth  place,  the  motive  and  end  which 
God  has  in  view  in  thus  restoring  them. 

God  hath  made  all  things  for  himself.  Everything 
is  to  the  praise  of  his  glory.  "  He  restoreth  my  soul ; 
he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his 
name's  sake^  When  the  often  wandering  sheep  of  his 
fold  come  to  look  back,  from  the  boundaries  of  their 
heavenly  heritage,  upon  his  care  and  love,  they  will 
say,  "  he  hath  wrought  all  for  his  own  name's  sake,  and 
not  for  our  righteousness !"  It  is  all  from  the  riches 
of  his  grace,  and  that  they  might  be  to  the  praise  of 
his  glory,  who  hath  made  them  accepted  in  the  Be- 


THE  WANDERER  RESTORED.  209 

loved.  They  are  not  few  who  will  finally  be  gathered 
into  that  heavenly  fold  ;  John  saw  them  "  an  exceeding 
great  multitude,  which  no  man  can  number."  Not- 
withstanding all  their  original  departures  from  God,  and 
all  their  backslidings,  when  once  brought  to  him,  they 
shall  then  come  in  the  perfection  and  beauty  of  holiness, 
and  be  presented  a  glorious  Church,  not  having  spot, 
or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing.  A  vast  and  delightful 
scene  of  contemplation  will  then  be  opened  to  the  view 
of  those  who  love  to  think  of  the  ways  of  God  to  man. 
The  original  design  of  recovering,  and  saving  such 
multitudes  of  frail  and  sinning  men,  the  several  steps 
by  which  it  was  accomplished,  its  progress,  and  final 
completion,  will  all  show  forth  the  "  riches  both  of  the 
wisdom  and  the  knowledge  of  God  !"  They  will  show 
forth  his  power,  who,  from  creatures  thus  abject,  forms 
minds  that  shall  "  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, and  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever !"  They  will 
show  forth  his  truth  and  faithfulness,  which  could  not 
be  provoked,  nor  vitiated  by  all  their  unfaithfulness. 
They  will  show  forth  his  love  and  mercy,  always  the 
worker  of  wonders,  now  "  glorified  in  his  saints,  and 
admired  in  all  them  that  believe !"  Well  did  God  say 
to  his  ancient  people,  even  in  view  of  lesser  mercies, 
"  Not  for  your  sakes,  do  I  this,  O  house  of  Israel,  but 
for  my  great  name's  sake !"  And  well  does  he  utter 
the  same  truth  in  our  ears.  Innumerable  are  our 
transgressions,  grievous  is  our  unfaithfulness.  But 
where  we  have  multiplied  offences,  God  has  multiplied 
pardons.  How  patiently  has  he  borne  with  us,  restored 
our  souls,  and  healed  our  backslidings.  Forget  not 
how  often  he  has  delivered  you  from  evil,  and  kept 
you  from  falling ;  how  graciously  he  has  assisted  you 


210  THE   WANDERER  RESTORED. 

in  your  duty,  supported  you  under  sufferings,  and 
brought  your  trials  to  a  happy  issue.  Forget  not  how 
he  has  defeated  the  plots  of  his  and  your  adversaries  to 
ensnare  you ;  nor  how  punctually  he  has  fulfilled  his 
promises  ;  nor  how  amply  he  stands  pledged  for  all  that 
remains  to  be  accomplished  in  order  to  secure  your  final 
salvation.  What  he  thus  performs  for  his  name's  sake, 
is  your  hope.  We  have  no  hope  but  this.  Blessed 
hope  it  is !  "  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against  us  ?" 
He  must  have  all  the  praise.  His  love  is  everlasting 
and  immutable.'  He  has  no  desire  to  change  his  mind. 
O  let  us  admire  and  adore  the  Lord  our  Shepherd, 
and  acknowledge  our  obligations  to  his  matchless 
grace,  and  give  him  all  the  glory. 

In  the  conclusion  of  these  remarks,  let  the  subject 
admonish  all  of  the  sin  and  danger  of  wandering  from 
God.  It  is  natural  for  us,  my  friends,  to  "  go  astray." 
The  natural  tendencies  of  our  minds  are  evil ;  they 
are  all  on  the  wrong  side  ;  and  though,  in  varied,  and 
often  opposite  and  contradictory  forms,  there  is  a  lean- 
ing within  us  to  what  God  has  forbidden.  Our  sources 
of  exposure  may  not  be  all  alike  ;  but  they  are  all  real, 
and  unless  closely  watched,  they  will  all  be  found  to 
have  great  power.  Temptation  yielded  to,  unfits  for 
present  duty,  and  takes  away  the  heart  from  God. 
And  then,  when  once  the  heart  is  taken  away  from 
God,  it  is  prepared  for  every  sin ;  and  it  will  be  won- 
drous mercy  if  we  are  preserved  from  perdition.  The 
day  of  the  Lord  is  at  hand.  "  Take  heed  to  your- 
selves." Watch  and  pray.  Seek  the  supply  of  the 
Spirit  of  grace,  to  mortify  every  sinful  propensity,  to 
regulate  every  internal  desire,  to  preside  over  all  your 
conduct,  and  to  keep  your  heart  fixed  on  God.     It  is 


THE   WANDERER   RESTORED.  211 

easier,  safer,  and  happier,  more  useful  and  more  honor- 
able to  yourselves  and  to  God,  to  live  habitually  near 
to  him,  than  it  is  to  return  to  him  when  you  have  once 
wandered. 

Let  those,  then,  who  are  now  wanderers  from  the 
fold  of  Christ,  return  to  him  in  this,  their  day  of  hope 
and  mercy.  It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  be  a  wanderer  from 
the  fold  of  God.  It  is  a  fearful  state  of  mind,  and  the 
way  of  the  wanderer  is  dark.  You  cannot  lay  your 
hand  upon  your  heart  and  say  you  have  a  clear  con- 
science ;  nor  can  you  say  that  you  are  a  happy  man, 
so  long  as  you  wander  from  God.  It  is  a  dry  and 
thirsty  land  where  no  water  is — no  living  water,  no 
wells  of  salvation,  nothing  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of 
the  thirsty,  perishing  soul. 

Are  there  none  of  you,  my  friends,  who  would  fain 
belong  to  the  flock  of  Christ  ?  Perhaps  you  feel  exiled 
from  it,  here  on  the  great  ocean.  But  his  flock  is 
found  on  the  sea,  as  well  as  an  the  land.  You  may 
sing  here  as  truly  as  David  did  on  the  mountains  of 
Judea,  "  The  Lord  is  niy  Shepherd,  I  shall  not  want ; 
he  maketh  me  to  lie  downi  in  green  pastures,  he  leadeth 
me  beside  the  still  waters  ;  he  restoreth  my  soul ;  he 
leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his  name's 
sake."  He  is  the  Good  Shepherd,  who  gave  his  life 
for  his  sheep.  To  those  who  follow  him,  he  will  give 
eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall 
any  pluck  them  out  of  his  hand.  He  gathers  the 
lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carries  them  in  his  bosom. 
God  grant,  that  when  this  divine  Shepherd  houses  his 
flock  at  the  Last  Day,  you  may  all  be  found  within  his 
fold! 


SERMON  XX. 

GOD'S  CALL  REFUSED. 

Proverbs  i,  24 — 31.  Because  I  have  called,  and  ye  refused;  T  have 
stretched  out  my  hand,  and  no  man  regarded ;  but  ye  have  set  at  nought 
all  my  connsel,  and  would  none  of  my  reproof;  I  also  will  laugh  at 
your  calamity ;  I  will  mock  when  your  fear  cometh ;  when  your  fear 
Cometh  as  desolation,  and  your  destruction  cometh  as  a  whirlwind ; 
when  distress  and  anguish  cometh  upon  you :  then  shall  ye  call  upon 
me,  but  I  will  not  answer ;  they  shall  seek  me  early,  but  shall  not 
find  me ;  for  that  they  hated  knowledge,  and  did  not  choose  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  :  they  would  none  of  my  counsel ;  they  despised  all  my 
reproof:  therefore  shall  they  eat  of  the  fruit  of  their  own  way,  and  be 
filled  with  their  own  devices.  For  the  turning  away  of  the  simple 
shall  slay  them,  and  the  prosperity  of  fools  shall  destroy  them. 

This  solemn  and  affecting  passage  is  from  the  lips  of 
Eternal  Wisdom.  It  is  the  voice  of  God  heard  every- 
where,— speaking  in  public  and  in  private,  in  the  house 
and  by  the  way,  on  the  land  and  on  the  ocean.  The 
persons  addressed  are  the  simple  ones,  who  love  sim- 
plicity,— the  ignorant,  unwary,  and  careless,  who  love 
to  continue  thoughtless  and  dissipated,  and  turn  away 
from  all  those  thoughts  which  interfere  with  their  pres- 
ent pursuits  of  pleasure,  reputation,  or  worldly  gain. 
They  are  the  scorners  who  delight  in  their  scorning — 
those  who  deride  and  revile  the  truths  and  precepts  of 
the  Gospel,  and  glory  in  their  impiety  and  unbelief 
They  are  the/oo/s  who  hate  knowledge, — persons  who 
have  had  some  acquaintance  with  religion,  whose  con- 


GOD'S   CALL  REFUSED.  213 

sciences  have  been  awakened  and  convinced,  but  vi^ho 
have  broken  these  bonds,  who  sin  in  defiance  of  these 
convictions,  and  set  at  nought  all  counsels,  and  despise 
all  rebuke.  The  consequences  of  their  folly  are  here 
portrayed  in  glowing  and  mournful  colors.  They  are 
the  most  dreadful  calamity  and  terror ; — fear  and  de- 
struction, like  the  impetuous  and  all-prostrating  blast  of 
the  whirlwind — distress  and  anguish  seizing  upon  them 
— every  hope  and  comfort  fled — and  every  helper,  hu- 
man and  divine,  neglecting  and  disdaining  their  distress. 
The  object  of  this  discourse,  therefore,  is  to  point  out 
some  of  the  ways  in  which  God  thus  expostulates  with 
men,  and  to  show  that  when  they  disregard  his  expos- 
tulations, they  have  reason  to  expect  that  he  in  his  turn 
will  disregard  theirs. 

I.  I  am  to  point  out  some  of  the  ways  in  which  God 
calls  the  children  of  men.     He  calls  them, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  hy  his  Word.  Here,  he  opens 
to  them  the  sources  of  divine  instruction,  the  counsels 
of  his  infinite  mind,  the  fountains  of  eternal  Wisdom. 
Here  he  reveals  to  them  truths  which  the  lights  of 
nature  and  reason  could  never  disclose,  which  angels 
could  not  reveal,  and  which  none  but  God  knew. 
Here  he  makes  them  acquainted  with  the  sublimest 
objects  in  the  universe, — his  own  infinitely  great  and 
divinely  glorious  character,  government,  and  method 
of  mercy  by  his  well-beloved  Son.  Here  he  shows 
them  the  rule  of  duty,  and  the  great  end  of  their  ex- 
istence. Here  he  uncovers  the  depth  of  their  moral 
depravity,  and,  if  possible,  the  deeper  abyss  of  woe  and 
wrath  which  await  all  the  impenitent  workers  of  in- 
iquity. Here  he  supplies  the  strongest  motives  which 
the  universe  contains,  and  which  his  own  infinite  mind 


214  GOD'S  CALL  REFUSED. 

can  suggest,  to  induce  them  to  hearken  to  his  voice  and 
live.  Here  he  introduces  them  to  the  amazing  reahties 
beyond  the  grave ;  and  by  all  that  is  conclusive  and 
irreversible  in  the  decisions  of  the  Final  Day,  all  that 
is  elevating  and  transporting  in  the  condition  and  joys 
of  God's  right  hand,  and  all  that  is  fearful  in  the 
agonies  and  anguish  of  the  soul  that  is  forever  exiled 
from  his  presence ;  entreats  them  to  accept  his  offered 
mercy.  He  here  spreads  before  them  the  map  of  eter- 
nity, the  chart  of  their  perilous  voyage  to  that  distant 
and  unmeasured  country ;  and  puts  into  their  hands  a 
guide,  a  manual  of  written  instructions,  clear,  and  in- 
telligible, and  safe.  Throughout  all  its  revelations  is 
diffused  the  glory  of  its  divine  Author,  and  in  every 
sentence  and  line  his  own  almighty  voice  is  uttered,  as 
really  as  it  was  uttered  to  our  first  parents  in  the  gar- 
den, or  to  Moses  and  the  people  of  Israel  on  Sinai. 

2.  God  calls  them  hy  his  ministers.  Once  he  Called 
them  by  the  ministry  of  angels ;  by  his  servants  the 
prophets ;  and  by  special  messengers,  raised  up  and 
sent  forth  upon  this  special  errand.  For  a  series  of 
years,  he  called  them  by  the  personal  ministry  of  his 
Son.  On  his  return  to  the  heavenly  world,  he  called 
them  by  divinely  instituted  apostles ;  and  since  that 
period  by  the  ordinary  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  They 
are  God's  ambassadors,  and  speak  in  his  name.  They 
are  his  advocates  at  the  bar  of  the  human  conscience, 
intrusted  with  a  concern  that  interests  the  well-being  of 
their  fellow- men  for  eternity.  They  are  appointed  to  ar- 
gue the  cause  of  God  before  this  thoughtless  and  revolted 
world  ;  to  present  and  urge  his  claims  ;  to  hear  the  woi^d 
at  his  mouth,  and  warn  them  from  him. 

What  the  Bible  does  privately,  ministers  of  the  Gospel 


GOD'S    CALL    REFUSED. 


215 


do  publicly.  They  illustrate  and  defend  the  truth,  and 
press  the  invitations  of  their  Lord  and  Master  on  all  that 
have  ears  to  hear.  Through  them,  Wisdom  crieth 
ivithout,  and  uttereth  her  voice  in  the  streets;  she  crieth 
in  the  chief  places  of  concourse,  and  in  the  opening  of 
the  gates.  Every  Sabbath  brings  with  it  privileges 
which,  if  improved,  would  be  remembered  with  joy  in 
heaven.  Faithful  ministers  aim  to  convey  the  divine 
calls  directly  to  the  minds  of  their  hearers,  and  to  make 
them  vibrate  on  their  hearts.  They  endeavor  to  pre- 
sent the  expostulations  of  God's  word  in  such  a  light  as 
to  constrain  men  to  hear,  and  understand  them,  and 
feel  their  force.  They  view  the  condition  of  lost  sin- 
ners, in  some  measure,  as  God  views  it ;  and  feel  to- 
ward them,  in  some  measure,  as  God  feels  ;  and  try  all 
in  their  power  to  wake  up  their  attention,  to  rouse 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  guilt  and  danger,  to  show  them 
the  worth  of  their  souls,  and  with  all  fidelity  and  love, 
to  persuade  them  to  flee  from  the  coming  wrath. 

3.  God  calls  men  by  the  faithfulness  and  prayers 
of  Christian  friends.  By  their  parents,  who  dedicate 
them  to  him,  and  nurture  them  for  his  kingdom ;  who 
pray  with  them,  and  for  them,  and  teach  them  to  pray ; 
who  daily  bear  them  to  his  throne  in  the  arms  of  faith ; 
and  who,  by  the  light  of  their  example  and  the  tender- 
ness of  their  expostulations,  would  fain  conduct  them  in 
the  path  of  life.  Friends  and  associates,  too,  who  have 
themselves  tasted  and  seen  that  the  Lord  is  good,  are 
often  moved  by  tender  compassion  for  them,  and  plead 
with  them  to  turn  from  the  error  of  their  ways.  Few, 
however  thoughtless  and  forbidding,  have  escaped  these 
affectionate  counsels  of  godly  men.  There  are  seasons 
when  the  heart  of  Christian  love  glows  with  sympathy, 


2l6  GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED. 

and  burns  with  the  hallowed  desire  to  rescue  them  from 
impending  danger.  Faithful  are  the  wounds  of  such  a 
friend;  and  many  is  the  bosom  where  some  pliant 
arrow  has  been  thus  lodged,  and  left  a  wound,  never 
to  be  healed  but  by  the  balm  of  redeeming  mercy. 

4.  God  calls  them  also  hy  the  conversion  of  others. 
He  often  appears  to'  awaken,  convince,  and  convert 
those  who  are  around  them.  And  when  heedless  and 
scornful  sinners  behold  these  wonders  of  the  divine 
mercy ;  when  they  see  those  who  but  a  little  while  ago 
were  as  heedless  and  scornful  as  themselves,  now  sol- 
emn and  tender, — anxious  and  prayerful, — agitated  and 
alarmed, — convinced  of  sin  and  humbled  for  their  un- 
grateful disobedience, — returning  to  God,  and  casting 
themselves  into  the  arms  of  redeeming  love, — wiping 
away  their  tears  and  beginning  their  everlasting  song ; 
it  is  difficult  for  them  to  suppress  the  thought,  that 
it  is  the  call  of  Heaven's  tender  mercy  to  them,  to 
"  seek  the  Lord  lohile  he  may  he  found,  and  call  u-pon 
him  while  he  is  nearP 

5.  God  calls  them  hy  the  awakening  and  convincing 
influences  of  his  Spirit.  He  rouses  them  from  their 
stupidity;  he  arrests  their  attention,  and  fixes  their 
thoughts  on  the  solemn  and  effective  truths  of  his  word. 
He  lays  open  their  hearts,  and  makes  them  feel' what 
they  deserve,  and  what  his  justice  requires  him  to  in- 
flict upon  them.  He  takes  off  the  covering  from  that 
world  of  everlasting  burnings,  to  which  they  are  tend- 
ing, and  makes  them  tremble  at  every  step  they  take 
in  their  guilty  career.  And  in  the  midst  of  such  scenes, 
not  unfrequently  do  they  feel  that  God  is  howing  his 
heavens  and  corning  down,  and  solemnly  and  directly 
inviting  and  calling  them  to  become  reconciled  to  him 


GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED. 


217 


through  the  blood  of  his  Son.  Not  often  does  he  re- 
peat  this  call ;  but  when  he  gives  it,  though  not  loud 
and  boisterous,  it  is  distinct  and  impressive, — it  is  the 
voice  of  God, — the  still  small  voice,  such  as  made  the 
prophet  wrap  his  face  in  his  mantle,  and  bow  himself 
to  the  ground.     I  add, 

6.  God  calls  them  by  affecting  providences.  It  may 
be  by  distinguished  mercies ;  it  may  be  by  remarkable 
deliverances ;  it  may  be  by  some  unexpected  recovery 
from  sickness  ;  and  they  feel  something  within  them 
warmly  urging  them  to  repentance.  It  may  be  by  ad- 
verse and  afflictive  dispensations  ;  by  disappointments 
and  losses ;  by  debility,  sickness,  and  suffering  ;  by  evil 
report  and  good  report.  It  may  be  by  the  death  of 
parents,  or  the  death  of  children,  who  have  been  torn 
from  their  bosom,  and  now  moulder  beneath  the  clods 
of  the  valley.  It  may  be  by  the  admonitory  voice  of 
some  dying  shipmate,  with  whom  they  have  enjoyed 
many  an  hour  of  gay  hilarity,  and  who  is  now  gone  to 
give  up  his  last  account,  and  peradventure  without  a 
ray  of  hope. 

God  speaks  by  such  affecting  providences  as  these. 
He  thus  proclaims  the  hopeless  character  and  mise- 
rable end  of  the  wicked ;  the  prostration  of  their  plans, 
and  the  vanity  of  all  their  boasted  pleasures  and  hopes  ; 
and  exhorts  them  to  stop  in  a  career  which  so  cer- 
tainly terminates  in  disappointment  and  despair.  He 
thus  proclaims. to  them,  that  this  life  is  frail  and  per- 
ishing; that  death  and  judgment  are  at  the  door; 
that  that  unknown  world  of  which  their  departed 
friends  have  become  the  inhabitants,  Avill  soon  open  its 
mansions  for  their  final  reception ;  and  that  it  is  their 
highest  wisdom  so  to  live,  as  to  die  the  death  of  the 

10 


218  GOD'S   CALL  REFUSED. 

righteous,  and  with  the  sweet  hope  of  a  blessed  immor- 
tahty. 

Thus  does  God  call  upon  the  sons  of  men.  He  in- 
structs, he  counsels,  he  reproves  them ;  he  encourages 
and  warns  them ;  he  expostulates  with  them,  and  urges 
them  to  repentance.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language, 
where  his  voice  is  not  heard.  He  calls  from  heaven 
and  from  earth ;  from  the  living  and  the  dead  ;  from 
time  and  from  eternity ;  from  the  visible  and  the  in- 
visible world.  He  calls  upon  them  to  turn  at  his  re- 
proof; he  stretches  out  his  hand,  and  invites,  and  beck- 
ons them  away  from  their  wonted  scenes  of  folly  and 
death ;  while  all  that  he  utters  is  solemn,  powerful  and 
persuasive,  dictated  by  truth  and  directed  only  to  their 
good. 

Would  to  God  that  these  calls  were  always  obeyed. 
But  it  is  not  so.     And  the  melancholy  consequence  is, 

II.  Those  who  refuse  to  hear  when  God  calls, 

HAVE  REASON  TO  EXPECT  THAT  GoD  WILL  REFUSE  TO 
HEAR  WHEN  THEY  CRY  UNTO  HIM. 

There  are  those  who  refuse  to  hear  when  God  calls. 
They  are  careless  and  secure  in  sin,  and  heed  not  the 
voice  of  their  Maker.  They  take  no  notice  of  what 
he  utters.  They  are  like  the  deaf  adder  that  stoppeth 
her  ear.  Or  if  they  hear,  they  refuse  ;  they  reject  his 
counsel  with  disdain,  and  turn  to  him  the  back  and  not 
the  face.  And  what  have  they  reason  to  expect,  but 
that  God  will  refuse  to  hear,  when  they  cry  unto  him. 
And  the 

1st  Reason  for  this  conclusion  is,  that  the  justice 
ajid  honor  of  God  imperatively  demand  it.  It  is  right 
that  the  time  should  come  when  those  should  cry  in 
vain,  who  have  themselves  so  long  refused.     God  is 


GOD'S  CALL  REFUSED.  219 

under  no  obligation  to  call  them  at  all ;  and  it  would 
have  been  right,  and  the  just  recompense  of  their  in- 
iquity, had  he  left  them  without  one  admonition  of  their 
danger,  or  a  single  call  to  repentance.  But  since  he  has 
condescended  to  call  them,  if  they  refuse,  it  is  certainly 
no  injustice,  that  when  they  call,  he  should  not  answer. 

And  especially,  when  he  has  called  so  long  and  so 
tenderly,  and  they  have  so  long  and  so  obstinately 
refused  to  hearken  to  his  voice.  The  most  hardened 
sinners,  in  the  time  of  their  calamity,  usually  feel 
their  dependence  on  God,  and  cry  for  mercy.  And 
though  the  time  was  when  he  pitied  their  folly  and  in- 
vited them  to  the  hopes  of  the  Gospel ;  what  now  have 
they  reason  to  expect,  but  that  he  will  mock  when  their 
fear  cometh !  They  once  ridiculed  his  counsel ;  and 
why  now  should  he  not  laugh  at  their  calamity  ?  They 
had  no  pity  when  he  so  affectionately  entreated  them ; 
and  why  should  his  ear  listen,  or  his  eye  spare,  or  his 
heart  have  pity  now  ?  Can  there  be  any  ground  of 
complaint,  if  he  should  treat  them  as  they  have  so  often 
treated  him  ?  They  are  not  so  much  greater  and  bet- 
ter than  God,  that  they  may  neglect  and  despise  him, 
and  yet  he  may  never  neglect  and  despise  them. 

Yes,  it  is  right,  that  since  they  have  so  long  refused, 
they  should  cry  in  vain.  And  when  fear  and  desolation 
come  upon  them,  and  death  and  hell  stare  them  in  the 
face,  they  lift  up  their  trembling  voice  to  God,  and  God 
hides  his  face ;  their  consciences  bear  testimony  that  it 
is  right  in  God  to  forsake  them.  They  have  none  to 
thank  but  themselves.  They  are  eating  the  fruit  of 
their  own  way,  and  are  filled  with  their  own  devices. 

2.  It  is  proper,  too,  that  God  should  show  what  an 
evil  it  iSf  thus  to  presume  on  his  long  suffering,     God 


220  GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED. 

suffers  very  long  with  delaying,  contending,  scoffing 
men.  His  long  suffering  is  their  only  hope.  The 
Apostle  says,  "  The  long  suffering  of  God  is  salva- 
tion ;'*  that  is,  there  is  no  salvation  without  it ;  and  if 
God  did  not  bear  long  with  men,  they  must  all  perish. 
But  it  is  a  very  common  sin  to  presume  on  God's  for- 
bearance, and  to  take  occasion  from  it  to  sin  yet  more 
and  more ;  to  become  corrupt,  and  the  corrupters  of 
others ;  and  thus  ruin  their  own  souls,  and  the  souls  of 
their  fellow-men. 

It  is  not  only  right,  therefore,  that  God  should  treat 
such  sinners  as  they  treat  him,  but  it  is  proper,  and  ne- 
cessary, that  he  should  show  what  an  evil  thing  it  is  thus 
to  presume  on  his  long  suffering.  It  is  benevolent  and 
kind  to  admonish  men  of  the  danger  of  doing  this,  and 
of  the  great  evil  of  thus  sinning  against  God,  despising 
his  calls,  making  light  of  Christ,  rejecting  his  offered 
mercy,  and  hating  and  disobeying  the  truth.  And  now, 
when  the  sinners  in  Zion  are  afraid,  and  fearfulness 
surprises  the  hypocrites,  what  wonder,  since  he  has  borne 
with  them  till  they  filled  up  the  measure  of  their  in- 
iquity, that  he  should  express  his  displeasure,  expose 
the  wickedness  of  their  conduct,  and  turn  a  deaf  ear 
to  their  prayer  ?     Besides, 

3.  Their  cries  do  not  arise  from  any  regard  to  God. 
Their  perplexities  and  embarrassments  have  in  no  re- 
spect altered  their  character.  They  cry  unto  God^ 
not  because  they  are  drawn  by  the  cords  of  love.  They 
are  rebels,  abusers  of  his  goodness,  and  rejecters  and 
despisers  of  his  Son.  Their  cries  are  not  the  cries 
of  friends,  nor  children,  nor  loyal  subjects,  but  of  ene- 
mies and  traitors.  Because  fear  and  destruction  come 
upon  them,  they  cringe  in  vile  hypocrisy  before  the 


GOD'S   CALL  REFUSED.  221 

throne ;  while  they  have  not  one  emotion  of  love  to 
God,  one  ingenuous  pang  of  sorrow  that  they  have 
refused  and  despised  him,  one  honest  purpose  of  obe- 
dience should  he  mitigate  the  terrors  of  his  w^rath.  In 
the  midst  of  all  their  cries,  God  sees  that  their  hearts 
are  full  of  wickedness,  and  that  should  his  rod  be  re- 
moved, they  would  return  to  the  same  remorseless  con- 
tempt of  him  which  marked  the  days  of  their  thought- 
lessness and  vanity. 

You  recollect  how  God  reproved  and  condemned  the 
hypocritical  cries  of  his  ancient  people,  and  how  he  ap- 
pealed to  their  consciences  whether  they  could  expect  to 
be  heard  ?  Whe7i  ye  fasted  and  mourned  in  the  fifth  and 
seventh  months  even  those  seventy  years,  did  ye  at  all  fast 
UNTO  ME,  even  unto  me  ?  Yea,  they  made  their  hearts  as 
an  adamant  stone,  lest  they  should  hear  the  law.  There- 
fore it  came  to  pass,  that  as  he  cried  and  they  would  not 
hear,  so  they  cried  and  I  would  not  hear,  saith  the  Lord 
of  hosts.  Their  cries  proceeded  from  no  regard  to  God. 
They  have  not  cried  unto  me  with  their  heart,  saith  the 
Lord,  when  they  howled  upon  their  beds.  Such  is  the  de- 
ceptive character  of  wicked  men.  When  he  slew  them, 
then  they  sought  him ;  and  they  returned  and  inquired 
early  after  God.  Nevertheless  they  did  flatter  him  with 
their  mouth,  and  lied  unto  him  with  their  tongue. 

There  is  no  lifting  up  of  the  soul  to  God  in  such  cries  ; 
no  humble  groanings  of  the  spirit  that  cannot  be  uttered, 
and  that  enter  the  ears  and  penetrate  the  heart  of  the 
hearer  of  prayer.  Far  from  it.  If  such  sinners  would 
speak  out  the  real  feelings  of  their  souls,  they  would 
refuse  God  still ;  and  would  set  him  at  defiance  in  the 
depth  of  their  adversity,  as  really  as  they  have  done  in 
the  height  of  their  pride.     But, 


222  GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED. 

4.  Those  who  hear  the  calls  of  God,  and  thus 
abuse  them,  7nust  he  destroyed,  that  the  Scriptures  may 
he  fulfilled.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  God  to  save  all 
mankind.  It  is  an  interesting  fact,  and  no  truth  is 
more  clearly  revealed,  than  that  it  is  not  the  purpose  of 
God  to  save  all  men.  The  interests  of  his  kingdom 
require  that  some  should  be  left  to  their  own  infatuated 
choice  of  sin  and  death ;  should  never  be  reclaimed ; 
and   should   be  set  forth  as   examples  of  his  justice. 

Who  many  of  these  most  signal  examples  of  his  jus- 
tice will  be,  he  has  informed  us  in  his  word.  They  will 
be  those  who  have  heard  and  abused  his  offers  of  mercy. 
He  predicted  the  final  perdition  of  such  persons  in  the 
text.  He  predicted  this  of  the  cities  to  which  the  twelve 
apostles  were  sent,  and  who  refused  to  listen  to  their 
message.  He  predicted  this  in  the  parable  of  the  vine- 
yard ;  in  the  parable  of  the  sower ;  in  the  parable  of  the 
marriage  supper ;  in  the  parabjp  of  the  ten  virgins ;  and  in 
the  parable  of  the  tares.  Nothing  can  give  us  clearer 
evidence  of  this  great  principle  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment, than  these  and  similar  predictions.  God  cannot 
lie,  and  he  will  not  alter  his  mind.  Some,  therefore, 
who  hear  the  Gospel  and  despise  it,  must  be  destroyed, 
that  the  Scriptures  may  be  fulfilled.  Some  of  them  may 
be  brought  to  repentance,  but  some  must  be  destroyed. 

Heaven  and  earth  may  pass  away,  but  God's  word 
shall  not  pass  away.  And  is  there  no  evidence  in 
this  solemn  fact,  that  those  who  refuse  to  hear  when 
God  calls,  have  reason  to  expect  that  God  will  refuse 
to  hear  when  they  cry  unto  him  ?  Who  shall  be  left  to 
their  own  chosen  way,  if  not  just  such  sinners  as  these  ? 
From  whom  shall  God  hide  his  face  in  trouble,  if  not 


GOD'S   CALL  REFUSED  333 

from  those  who  have  long  heard,  and  long  rejected  his 
calls  ?     I  add, 

5.  Melancholy  facts,  also,  prove  the  position  we  are 
endeavoring  to  illustrate.  God  has  already  refused  to 
hear  some  who  have  refused  to  hear  him.  His  provi- 
dence is  a  comment  upon  his  purposes.  Men  who  re- 
fused to  hear  his  voice,  have  cried  to  him  in  their  dis- 
tresses ;  and  notwithstanding  all  his  compassions,  he  has 
felt  himself  constrained  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  their  cry. 

How  frequently  have  you  seen  this  fact  verified 
in  the  history  of  men.  In  trouble,  in  want,  in  sick- 
ness, in  perils  by  land  and  by  sea,  how  many  who  have 
neglected  God  in  the  seasons  of  prosperity,  have  cried 
to  him  in  vain  in  the  day  of  their  adversity !  How 
often  has  this  mournful  fact  been  verified  in  the  hour 
oi death!  The  bold  and  profane  mariner — early  the 
child  of  prayer,  and  early  and  late  refusing  the  calls  of 
the  divine  mercy — tossed  on  the  foaming  billows,  lifts 
his  agonizing  cry  to  God  amid  the  roaring  of  the  storm, 
but  sinks  beneath  the  waves,  to  come  up  no  more  till 
the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead. 

There  lies  a  man,  mouldering  in  yonder  vault,  whose 
youthful  conscience  was  once  tender,  but  who  hushed 
and  stifled  its  voice.  Who,  when  the  day  of  his  ca- 
lamity came,  died  with  the  bitter  exclamation  on  his 
lips,  O  how  deep  !  how  dark  is  hell ! 

In  yonder  cemetery  lies  one,  early  trained  up  for  God, 
and  who  long  refused  when  God  called.  When  his  dis- 
tress and  anguish  came  upon  him,  he  cried  mightily 
unto  God ;  but  reason  tottered  on  her  throne,  and  his 
benighted,  abandoned  spirit,  uttered  one  shriek  of  wild 
dismay,  and  plunged  into  eternity. 

And  there,  too,  lies  the  almost  forgotten  frame  of  an- 


224  GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED. 

Other,  over  whose  time-worn  monument  the  winds  of 
fifty  winters  have  passed  ;  whose  youth  w^as  the  season 
of  deep  reUgious  sohcitude,  but  who  set  at  nought  all 
God's  counsel,  became  abandoned  to  incorrigible  infi- 
delity, and  after  days  and  nights  of  sickness  and  pain, 
woe  and  despair,  exclaimed,  O  the  unutterable  horrors 
of  hell  and  damnation  !  and  then  expired. 

Go  to  that  chamber  of  mourning.  There  lies  the  life- 
less body  of  a  man  whose  breasts  were  but  the  other  day 
full  of  milk,  and  his  bones  moistened  with  marrow.  He 
who  speaks  to  you  was  called,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
to  stand  by  his  pillow.  I  saw  him  encountering  the 
pains,  and  agonies,  and  strife.  I  saw  dismay  and  gloom 
depicted  on  his  countenance.  I  saw  fear  come  upon 
him,  and  desolation  driving  his  hopes  away  like  chaff. 
Tenderly  I  asked  him,  if  he  had  made  his  peace  with 
God ;  and  all  that  he  could  say  was.  Anguish  and  dis- 
tress come  upon  me.  God  is  passing  by,  and  I  hear 
him  say,  Because  I  have  called,  and  you  have  refused  ; 
I  have  stretched  out  my  hand,  and  you  have  not  re- 
garded; therefore  I  will  laugh  at  your  calamity,  and 
mock  when  your  fear  cometh ! 

There,  too,  is  the  living  sinner,  spared  till  the  measure 
of  his  iniquity  is  almost  full, — thrown  up,  like  some  shat- 
tered hulk,  upon  the  weather-beaten  shore,  and  set  forth 
as  a  beacon  to  all  that  will  live  ungodly.  He  grieved 
the  blessed  Spirit  of  God,  outlived  revival  after  revival 
and  now  is  compassed  about  by  his  iniquities,  writhing 
under  the  agonies  of  an  unappeased  conscience  ; — try- 
ing to  lift  up  his  cry,  but  is  repulsed  from  the  throne, 
and  sinks  in  despondency  because  God  will  not  hear. 

And  how  many,  think  you,  lie  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  earth  we  inhabit,  who,  in  the  hour  of  their  calamity, 


GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED.  225 

cried  to  God  in  vain  ?  How  many,  think  you,  who  re- 
fused to  hear  when  God  called,  have  gone  to  their  last 
account ;  have  stood  at  the  gate  of  heaven,  and  cried, 
Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us,  to  whom  the  King  has  an- 
swered, /  know  ye  not  whence  ye  are,  depart  from  me, 
ye  that  work  iniquity  ?  How  many  who,  like  the  rich 
man  in  the  parable,  have  gone  to  be  tormented  in  that 
flame,  and  to  cry  for  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  their 
tongue,  but  from  whom  the  things  that  belong  to  their 
peace  are  hid  forever ! 

And  are  none  of  you,  beloved  hearers,  witnesses  of  the 
same  mournful  truth  ?  Have  none  of  you  cried  to  God 
without  success  ?  Have  you  not  set  at  nought  all  his 
counsel  ?  And  now  when  your  fear  cometh,  when  thick 
darkness  settles  upon  you,  when  memory  brings  back 
your  unnumbered  transgressions,  and  conscience  lace- 
rates with  inward  stings ;  do  you  not  find  a  cloud  over 
the  mercy-seat,  so  that  your  prayer  cannot  pass  through  ? 
Do  you  not  remember  the  days  when  God  called,  and 
you  would  not  hear ;  and  does  not  the  withering  thought 
come  over  you,  like  the  cold  blast  of  the  tempest,  that 
now  he  will  not  hear  when  you  cry  unto  him  ? 

And  now  in  the  conclusion  of  this  discourse,  what 
shall  I  say  ?  To  you,  dear  hearers,  God  has  called. 
His  word  has  instructed,  encouraged,  and  admonished 
you.  His  ministers  have  pleaded  with  you.  Your 
Christian  friends  have  mourned  over  your  impenitence, 
and  entreated  you.  God  has  called  you  by  his  mercies 
and  by  his  judgments.  And  often,  too,  has  his  Holy 
Spirit  touched  your  conscience.  He  has  stretched  out 
his  hand  all  the  day  long.  Even  now  you  live  upon 
his  forbearance.  But  how  have  you  heeded  his  calls  ? 
Have  you  listened,  believed,  and  felt  them  ?     Are  not 


226  GOD'S  CALL  REFUSED. 

many  of  you  still  unawakened,  unconcerned,  blind,  and 
deaf,  and  dead  in  sin  ?  Are  you  not  despising  the  riches 
of  his  goodness  and  long-suffering,  and  setting  at  nought 
all  his  counsel  ?  Testify,  ye  neglected  Sabbaths  !  say, 
ye  unfrequented  closets  !  speak,  thou  book  of  God  !  pro- 
claim, ye  his  ministers,  his  ordinances  and  his  people  ! 
and  testify,  O  thou  perverted  conscience !  to  the  neglect 
and  contempt  of  these  blood-bought  privileges. 

Well,  the  withering  blast  shall  one  day  come.  It 
may  be  some  unexpected  season  of  earthly  disappoint- 
ment,— of  deep  pensiveness  and  gloom.  It  may  be  the 
hour  of  inward  terror  and  remorse.  It  may  be  days 
and  nights  of  restless  anxiety,  when  you  feel  the  bur- 
den of  past  transgressions.  It  may  be  when  prostrat- 
ing disease  assails,  or  death  invades  you,  and  you  feel 
that,  as  lost  sinners,  you  are  just  about  to  fall  into  the 
hands  of  an  angry  God.  But  come  it  will.  And  it 
will  be  a  fearful  day.  God  will  laugh  at  your  calam- 
ity, and  mock  when  your  fear  cometh.  O,  I  awfully 
fear,  that  many  of  you,  who  have  long  rejected  the 
calls  of  his  mercy,  will  one  day  be  involved  in  unutter- 
able anguish  and  despair.  These  abused  mercies,  these 
lost  Sabbaths,  these  expostulations  of  God's  Spirit,  must 
one  day  be  remembered  with  bitterness  of  heart.  God 
is  long-suffering  and  gracious,  but  not  forever.  He 
has  drawn  a  line,  which,  if  the  sinner  crosses,  he  goes 
a  step  too  far.  He  places  himself  beyond  the  reach  of 
mercy,  and  not  a  ray  of  hope  shall  dawn  upon  his  path 
forever.  The  lost  spirits  of  hell  took  one  step  too  far  ; 
they  trifled  with  their  immortal  interests  once  too 
often  ;  and  when  they  had  taken  that  fatal  step,  the 
die  was  cast.  You,  dear  hearers,  may  refuse  to  hear 
God's  call  now ;  but  it  may  be  once  too  often.     You 


GOD'S   CALL   REFUSED.  227 


may  procrastinate  your  repentance,  and  delay  it  to  a 
more   convenient   season;   and   when  you  awake  in 
eternity,  you  may  find,  alas !  that  you  delayed  one  day 
too  long;  that  the  door  is  shut,  and  your  destiny  sealed 
forever.     Believe  me,  the  day  is  near,  when  you  will 
mourn  that  you  refused  the  guidance  of  wisdom,  and 
would  not  choose  the  fear  of  the  Lord.    As  the  criminal, 
when  arrested  by  the  hand  of  justice,  and  about  to 
suffer  the  demands  of  law,  when  he  sees  his  chains, 
and  looks  at  his  scaffold,  in  vain  desires  to  recall  and 
undo  the  deeds  that  have  brought  him  to  the  block ;  so 
you,  when  the  ministers  of  God's  vengeance  shall  drag 
you  before  his  bar,  will  give  utterance  to  the  bitter  cry, 
O  how  have  I  hated  instruction,  and  despised  reproof! 
But  it  will  be  too  late.     Your  crimes  are  proved  ;  the 
sentence  is  past ;  the  second  death  must  be  your  por- 
tion, and  you  must  weep,  and  wail,  and  gnash  your 
teeth.     You  shall  call  theii,  but  it  shall  be  God's  turn 
to  disregard  your  cry  !     O  how  much  better  to  hearken 
to  the  voice  of  God,  so  that  when  danger  and  death 
assail,  you  may  possess  your  souls  in  peace  !     How 
much  better  to  listen  to  the  solicitations  of  his  mercy,— 
the  pleadings  of  his  love,— the  entreaties  of  his  Son,— 
the  expostulations   of  his  Spirit,— that  when  human 
life  is  passed  away,  and  you  shall  have  descended  to 
the  tomb,  you  may  dwell  in  safety,  and  be  quiet  from 
the  fear  of  evil !     O  how  much  holier  and  happier, 
now  to  make  your  peace  with  God,  so  that  hereafter 
you  shall  not  be  disturbed  by  apprehension,  nor  agi- 
tated by  terror,  nor  depressed  by  despondency ;  and 
when  the  heavens  and  the  earth  are  convulsed,  and  the 
elements  melt,  and  the  voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the 
trump  of  God  sound,  you  may  glory  in  the  cross  of 
Christ,  and  triumph  in  your  immortality  ! 


SERMON  XXI. 

THE  NIGHT  OF  TEARS,  AND  THE  MORNING  OF  JOY. 

Psalm  xxx.  5.    Weeping  may  endure  for  a  night ;  but  joy  cometh  in 
the  morning. 

In  the  history  of  every  true  Christian,  there  are 
seasons  when  he  is  depressed,  and  when  he  is  exaUed. 
There  are  the  seasons  of  his  penitence,  and  the  joys 
of  his  faith ;  there  is  the  mourning  of  his  affliction, 
and  the  comfort  of  his  deliverance.  There  is  the 
gloom  of  death,  the  night  of  the  grave,  and  there  is 
victory  over  the  last  enemy,  the  morning  of  the  resur- 
rection, and  the  glories  of  eternity. 

As  a  general  fact  in  the  government  exercised  over 
this  fallen  world,  sorrow  is  the  preliminary  to  joy  ; 
suffering  and  tears  the  precursor  to  the  hopes  and 
peace  of  God's  salvation.  This  fact  itself,  and  the 
reasons  of  it,  will  occupy  our  thoughts  during  the  pres- 
ent discourse. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  we  will  advert  to  some  of  the 
particulars  which  illustrate  the  fact  itself 

Darkness  is  not  that  which  men  naturally  delight  in . 
"  truly  the  light  is  sweet,  and  a  pleasant  thing  it  is  fo^ 
the  eyes  to  see  the  sun."  To  mourn  and  be  in  bitter 
ness,  is  what  no  man  desires.  Yet  are  these  th« 
methods  by  which  the  soul  is  conducted  to  the  light  ol 
life,  and  the  joys  of  God's  right  hand. 


THE  NIGHT  OF  TEARS,  ETC.  229 

1.  There  is  a  quite  obvious  illustration  of  this  fact 
in  the  conduct  of  God  toward  wicked  men,  before,  and 
at  the  time  they  are  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  his  Son. 
Their  night  precedes  their  day ;  clouds  and  storm  go 
before  a  serene  sky ;  convictions,  more  or  less  deep, 
sensible  distress  of  mind,  and  abasing  humiliation,  or- 
dinarily, if  not  always,  go  before  a  trusting  and  peaceful 
confidence  in  the  promises  of  God.  There  is  often  great 
inward  commotion,  strong  excitement,  and  heart-rend- 
ing apprehensions,  as  when  Horeb  was  rent  by  the  wind, 
and  shook  by  the  earthquake,  and  encircled  by  the  fire. 
It  is  not  till  after  the  fire,  that  there  is  the  "  still,  small 
voice ;"  and  like  the  trembling,  yet  comforted  prophet, 
the  sinner  wraps  his  face  in  his  mantle,  to  wonder  and 
adore.  God  wounds  before  he  heals  ;  he  rends  the  soul 
with  sharp  convictions,  and  fills  it  with  fears,  before  he 
pours  into  it  the  balm  of  heavenly  consolation.  Men  do 
not  always  continue  in  thoughtlessness  and  unconcern  ; 
they  must  be  awakened  and  convinced,  or  they  must 
perish.  There  are  not  wanting  causes  of  alarm,  when 
once  God  holds  their  thoughts  intent,  and  their  eyes 
waking  to  just  views  of  their  character  and  condition. 
The  affecting  fact,  that  they  are  sinners,  and  con- 
demned by  the  law  of  God  ;  that  the  punishment  to 
which  they  are  exposed  is  eternal ;  that  human  life  is 
uncertain,  and  that  it  is  uncertain  how  long  the  Spirit 
of  God  will  strive  with  them ;  and  that  it  is  also  uncer- 
tain whether  they  shall  ever  come  to  Christ,  and  find 
mercy  ;  are  thoughts  that  fill  them  with  solicitude,  and 
make  them  fear  and  tremble.  God  shuts  them  in  this 
dark  dungeon  of  doubt  and  fear,  of  tumult  and  solicitude, 
before  he  brings  them  forth  to  the  light  of  hope.  They 
writhe  under  worse  than  Egyptian  bondage,  flee  before 


230  THE  NIGHT  OF  TEARS, 

their  pursuers,  are  hedged  in  by  seas  and  mountains, 
and  conducted  through  the  tedious  desert,  before  they 
are  brought  out  into  a  large  and  weaUhy  place. 

A  sense  of  the  divine  justice  in  condemning,  always 
precedes  a  sense  of  the  divine  mercy  in  saving.  Self- 
despair  always  goes  before  all  true  hope  in  God.  And 
therefore  he  throws  them  into  darkness ;  terrors  take 
hold  on  them  as  waters ;  and  out  of  the  depths  they  cry 
unto  God.  They  know  not  what  to  do,  and  are  tempted 
to  sink  in  despair. 

But  man's  extremity  is  God's  opportunity.  In  this 
valley  of  Achor  he  opens  a  door  of  hope.  Having 
shown  them  how  ill-deserving  they  are,  he  shows  them 
the  riches  of  his  grace ;  and  having  taught  them  their 
helplessness,  he  himself  becomes  their  helper.  The 
hour  of  trembling  is  the  hour  of  deliverance.  Liffht 
arises  to  them  in  the  midst  of  darkness.  Conscience  is 
directed  to  atoning  blood.  Darkness  and  gloom  are 
banished.  Dejection  and  despondency  are  relieved  by 
the  light  of  God's  countenance,  and  the  mourning  soul 
wakes  to  anthems  of  praise.  The  light  of  mercy  beams 
complacently  around  her,  and  she  begins  to  breathe  the 
atmosphere  of  heaven.  It  was  but  just  now,  that  "  deep 
called  unto  deep  at  the  noise  of  God's  water  spouts,  and 
all  his  waves  and  billows  went  over  them ;"  now  all  is 
tranquil  as  the  summer  sky.  The  burden  of  sin  is 
gone ;  fears  do  not  agitate ;  sweet  and  heavenly  in- 
fluences come  down  upon  the  soul ;  "  weeping  endures 
for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning." 

2.  A  second  illustration  of  this  fact  is  found  in  the 
varied  experience  of  the  people  of  God.  Men  not  only 
thus  begin  their  religious  course,  but  pursue  it  thus, 
in  all  these  alternations  of  darkness  and  light,  weep- 


AND  THE  MORNING  OF  JOY.  331 

ing  and  joy.  It  is  a  law  of  the  divine  kingdom,  that 
*'he  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased,  and  he 
that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."  The  expe- 
rience of  God's  people  shows  nothing  more  clearly,  than 
that  he  abases  them  before  he  lifts  them  up.  He  does 
not  always  listen  to  the  first  cry  of  distress ;  nor  does 
he  always  heal  the  anguish  of  the  soul  at  the  earliest 
indications  of  its  lowliness ;  but  waits  to  prove-  and 
bring  out  its  self-abasement,  ere  he  says  to  it,  as  he  did 
to  the  Syro-Phoenician  suppliant,  "  O,  woman,  great  is 
thy  faith ;  be  it  unto  thee  even  as  thou  wilt !" 

There  is  not  one  condition  of  forgiveness  and  hope 
for  impenitent  men,  and  another  and  easier  for  the 
people  of  God.  Their  consolations  are  premature  who 
rejoice  before  they  mourn.  "Blessed  are  they  that 
mourn,  for  they  shall  be  comforted."  If  there  is  any 
class  of  men  for  whom  it  is  befitting  to  blush  and  be 
ashamed  to  lift  up  their  faces  before  God,  and  to  in- 
dulge in  the  bitterest  and  most  penitential  grief;  they 
are  those  who  have  left  their  first  love,  violated  their 
vows  as  Christians,  and  from  their  high  standing  as  the 
professed  people  of  God,  have  fallen  into  sin.  Well 
may  they  grieve  as  no  others  grieve ;  nor  were  it  ir- 
rational for  them  to  expect  to  walk  in  darkness.  All 
experience  shows  that  when  they  wander  and  are  re- 
stored, it  is  a  thorny  way,  and  the  path  is  wet  with 
tears.  Their  inward  distress,  their  depression  and  des- 
pondency, are  not  unfrequently  such  as  they  never  ex- 
perienced, even  in  those  dark  hours  which  immediately 
preceded  their  first  reconciliation  to  God.  And  as 
light  followed  the  darkness  then,  and  weeping  was  the 
prelude  to  joy  ;  so  it  is  now.  Neither  the  grief  nor  the 
joy  may  be  tumultuous,  yet  they  may  be  genuine  and 


232  THE  NIGHT  OF  TEARS, 

true.  There  is  deep  feeling  in  the  silence  of  the  soul. 
Those  sorrows  are  the  most  pungent,  that  are  most 
unutterable ;  those  joys  the  most  transporting  that  can- 
not be  told.  And  the  vividness  of  the  joy  is  very  apt 
to  bear  some  proportion  to  the  intensity  of  the  grief. 
The  early  dawn  is  most  joyfully  greeted  after  the  dark- 
est and  most  terrific  night;  the  green  earth  is  most 
beautiful  when  we  come  unexpectedly  upon  it,  in  the 
midst  of  the  desert.  Delightful  truth !  "  a  man  shall 
be  an  hiding-place  from  the  storm,  a  covert  from  the 
tempest,  as  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary 
land,  and  as  rivers  of  water  in  a  dry  place."  When 
his  people  think  of  God  and  are  troubled;  when  they 
go  forward,  but  he  is  not  there ;  backward,  but  they 
cannot  perceive  him ;  on  the  right  hand,  where  he  doth 
work,  but  they  cannot  behold  him ;  and  he  hideth  him- 
self on  the  left  hand  that  they  cannot  see  him  ;"  how 
welcome  is  the  light  of  his  countenance  which  then 
breaks  through  the  cloud,  and  in  what  accents  of  ten- 
derness and  love  does  the  promise  come  home  to  their 
bosoms,  "  He  hath  said,  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor 
forsake  thee  !"  Seasons  of  darkness  may  try  our  faith, 
but  they  do  not  justify  despair.  "  It  is  good  for  a  man 
that  he  both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  salvation  of 
God."  We  are  often  cast  down,  perplexed,  and  des- 
ponding ;  but  it  is  that  we  may  have  more  than  our 
wonted  peace  and  joy,  and  again  "  sing  as  in  the  days 
of  our  youth."  "  For  the  Lord  will  not  cast  off  forever; 
for  though  he  cause  grief,  yet  will  he  have  compassion 
according  to  the  multitude  of  his  mercies."  Our  hopes 
may  be  cut  down,  and  wither  as  the  green  herb ;  but 
one  look  of  love  from  him  revives  them.  He  "  breaks 
not  the  bruised  reed,  nor  quenches  the  smoking  flax." 


AND   THE  MORNING  OF  JOY.  233 

They  are  bastards  and  not  sons,  who  never  weep.  God 
dealeth  with  his  people  as  with  children.  "  Is  Ephraim 
my  dear  son  ?  Is  he  a  pleasant  child  ?  '  For  since  I 
spake  against  him,  I  do  earnestly  remember  him  still ; 
therefore  my  heart  is  troubled  for  him,  I  will  surely 
have  mercy  upon  him,  saith  the  Lord." 

3.  A  third  illustration  of  the  fact  asserted  in  the  text, 
is  found  in  the  history  of  the  Chiu^ch  in  all  her  progress 
through  this  unfriendly  world.  "  He  that  goeth  forth 
and  weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubtless 
come  again  with  rejoicing,  bringing  his  sheaves  with 
him."  The  trials  and  conflicts  of  the  church  of  God 
in  the  earth,  have  ever  been  followed  by  spiritual 
peace  and  prosperity.  For  much  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  since  the  first  apostasy,  he  has  suffered  her 
to  be  opposed,  diminished,  disheartened.  But  nothing 
has  been  more  strongly  marked  in  her  history,  than 
that  after  such  seasons  of  depression,  his  own  right 
hand  has  been  plucked  out  of  his  bosom,  and  made  vis- 
ible in  raising  her  from  this  low  estate.  We  know  not 
to  how  low  an  estate  she  may  be  reduced ;  but  a  very 
low  and  languishing  state  of  tl^  church  is  one  of  the 
tokens  that  God  is  about  to  arise  and  plead  his  own 
cause.  Such  a  state  calls  for  his  interposition  ;  and  he 
is  wont  to  prepare  her  for  his  gracious  presence  by  first 
leading  her  to  deep  repentance  and  godly  sorrow.  She 
is  covered  with  sackcloth  and  sits  in  ashes.  "  She  put- 
teth  her  mouth  in  the  dust,  if  so  be  there  may  be  hope." 
"  Her  eye  affecteth  her  heart,  because  of  all  the  daugh- 
ters of  her  city.  Her  eye  runneth  down  with  tears, 
till  the  Lord  look  down  and  behold  from  heaven."  God 
has  more  usually  chosen  such  seasons  as  the  most 
proper  ones  for  the  exhibition  of  his  gracious  power 


234  THE  NIGHT  OP   TEARS, 

and  sovereignty,  and  for  the  revival,  and  sustenance, 
and  triumph  of  the  cause  that  seemed  desperate  in  the 
eyes  of  men,  and  beyond  the  power  of  man  to  uphold. 
The  deepest  darkness  has  been  the  harbinger  of  day. 
The  harp  that  has  been  hung  upon  the  willows,  has 
subsequently  been  attuned  to  the  Lord's  song.  He  has 
turned  the  captivity  of  Zion,  and  their  mouth  was  filled 
with  laughter  and  their  tongue  with  singing.  "  When 
the  enemy  cometh  in  like  a  flood,  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
lifteth  up  a  standard  against  him."  When  her  foes 
begin  to  triumph,  Zion  begins  to  hope ;  for  the  day  of 
her  deliverance  draws  nigh.  It  is  time  for  him  to  work 
when  men  make  void  his  law.  The  chill,  bleak  winter 
is  then  past,  the  Sun  of  righteousness  pours  his  rays 
upon  the  long  barren  herbage,  and  songs  of  salvation 
break  from  lips  that  but  just  now  uttered  the  lamenta- 
tions of  despondency.  Such  is  the  fact  adverted  to  in 
the  text.     We  pass, 

IL  In  the  second  place,  not  so  much  to  consider,  as 
barely  to  enumerate  the  reasons  of  it. 

These  reasons  are  obvious  and  revealed ;  they  com- 
mend themselves  to  our^wn  minds. 

\.  One  of  them  is,  that  men  may  have  just  views  of 
God's  hatred  of  their  sins,  and  learn  to  humhle  them- 
selves under  his  mighty  hand.  This  alone  is  a  suffi- 
cient reason  for  their  travelling  through  gloom  and 
darkness  to  the  mount  of  rejoicing.  "  Humhle  your- 
selve,"  says  the  apostle,  "  under  the  mighty  hand  of 
God,  that  he  may  exalt  you  in  due  time."  It  is  not 
the  "  due  time"  to  exalt  them  till  they  are  humbled. 
God  dwells  with  the  humble  and  contrite,  "  to  revive 
the  spirit  of  the  humble,  and  to  revive  the  heart  of  the 
contrite  ones."    He  adds  no  needless  burden  to  the 


AND  THE  MORNING  OF  JOY.  235 

heaviness  of  a  broken  spirit ;  but  he  bends  not  to  the 
unbroken  and  resolute  offender,  nor  does  he  comfort 
the  sinner  in  his  unrelenting  rebellion.  "  He  will  speak 
peace  to  his  mourners^  The  whispers  of  his  love  are 
reserved  for  those  who  tremble  at  his  feet.  Allied  to 
this,  there  is, 

2.  A  second  reason  for  such  dispensations.  Men  them- 
selves are  not  in  a  fit  state  of  mind  to  receive  'peace  and 
comfort  until  they  are  brought  thus  low.  They  cannot 
welcome  his  paternal  tenderness  and  mercy  till  then. 
They  do  not  seek  it,  they  do  not  desire  it  till  then. 
His  consolations  would  find  no  access  to  their  minds, 
but  would  be  resisted  and  repulsed.  Great  struggles 
are  necessary  to  great  relief.  It  is  the  agitated  heart 
that  is  prepared  to  listen  to  the  composing  voice  of 
heavenly  mercy. 

3.  A  third  reason  is,  that  without  this  discipline,  the 
soul  never  casts  itself  on  the  infinite  mercy  of  God 
the  Saviour.  These  inward  troubles,  these  fruitless 
efforts  of  self-righteous  men,  and  these  vain  reliances, 
which  meet  with  such  sad  defeat,  are  designed  to  make 
men  feel  the  need  of  something  to  rest  upon  that  is 
without  themselves,  and  above  all  created  helpers. 
They  must  be  driven  from  every  other  refuge,  before 
they  commit  themselves  to  him  who  alone  is  mighty  to 
save.  Not  until  they  feel  the  sting  of  the  deadly  ser- 
pent, will  they  look  to  him  who  was  lifted  up  on  the 
cross.  Th^  are  not  willing  to  let  go  their  hold  of  all 
other  helpers,  until  it  is  violently  broken  off.  Then 
they  let  go,  and  fall  into  the  arms  of  sovereign  mercy. 
AH  the  teachings  of  divine  truth  would  fain  lead  the 
mind  to  this  refuge  and  resort ;  all  the  dealings  of  divine 
providence  have  this  same  uniform  tendency.     Men 


236  THE   NIGHT   OF   TEARS, 

learn  only  by  experience,  that  every  other  way  is 
hedged  up  with  thorns,  passes  under  the  terrors  of  the 
burning  mount,  and  hangs  over  the  angry  precipice. 
They  must  be  driven  from  every  other  refuge,  and 
tossed  by  the  tempest,  before  they  will  repair  to  him 
who  is  a  refuge  from  the  storm.  Some  are  led  by 
milder  ways  than  others,  but  all  are  led  through  the 
darkness  and  the  deep. 

4.  Another  reason  for  this  fact  is,  that,  when  peace 
and  joy  are  thus  obtained,  they  are  more  thankfully 
appreciated.  When  the  night  of  weeping  is  past,  there 
is  a  glow  of  joy  which  could  not  be  felt  but  for  the 
weeping.  The  restored  can  then  scarcely  contain 
themselves  for  joy.  Their  heart  overflows,  their  face 
is  the  brighter  for  having  been  darkened  with  grief  and 
furrowed  with  tears.  The  man  who  was  lame  from 
his  mother's  womb,  and  was  healed  at  the  gate  of  the 
Temple  by  Peter  and  John,  as  soon  as  he  found  his 
feet  and  ankle  bones  received  strength,  could  scarcely 
contain  himself  for  joy.  Relief  to  the  anxious  sinner 
is  like  a  spring  of  life  and  salvation  in  the  desert.  The 
promises  of  God  are  then  realized  to  be  "  exceeding 
great  and  precious  promises."  Christ  is  a  precious 
Christ.  The  Eternal  God  is  then  the  sinner's  refuge, 
and  underneath  him  are  the  everlasting  arms. 

5.  There  is  one  more  reason  for  this  fact,  and  that  is, 
that  the  subjects  of  this  painful  discipline  may  thereby 
learn  the  more  fully  to  give  God  all  the  ^ry  of  their 
relief.  This  is  the  greatest  reason  of  all.  A  drowning 
man  thinks  of  his  deliverer.  He  thinks  of  the  rope  that 
was  thrown  out  to  him,  and  that  broke  as  he  took  hold 
of  it ;  and  of  the  life-boat  that  was  swamped  in  the 
surge ;  but  more  than  all,  of  him  who  plunged  into  the 


AND  THE   MORNING  OF  JOY.  337 

foaming  billow,  and  brought  him  to  the  shore.  The 
sinner  was  a  drowning  man.  No  human  arm  was 
strong  enough  to  rescue  him  from  the  fatal  current  that 
was  sweeping  him  to  destruction.  And  when  he  was 
rescued,  it  was  in  a  way  that  made  him  see  and  feel 
that  God  alone  was  his  deliverer.  And  now  his  grate- 
ful song  is,  "  Not  unto  me,  O  Lord,  not  unto  me,  but 
to  thy  name  give  glory,  for  thy  mercy  and  thy  truth's 
sake  !"  The  scenes  he  has  passed  through  will  never 
be  forgotten,  and  they  lead  him  to  give  God  the  glory. 
He  is  slow  of  heart  to  do  this,  without  just  such  dis- 
cipline. His  trials  are  the  very  way  and  method  by 
which  God  brings  him  to  right  views  on  this  important 
subject.  He  needs  them  all  to  free  him  of  that  strange 
delusion,  "  Mine  own  arm  hath  done  this !"  God  will 
save  men  by  himself  alone,  or  leave  them  to  perish. 
He  alone  must  have  all  the  glory  of  their  salvation,  or 
they  shall  never  join  the  song  of  his  redeemed. 

Review  these  truths,  then,  my  friends,  and  apply  them 
to  yourselves.  Think  of  them,  ye  who  are  thoughtless 
in  sin.  "  If  the  righteous  scarcely  be  saved,  where  shall 
the  ungodly  and  the  sinner  appear?"  If  the  people 
of  God  mourn  before  they  rejoice,  beware  lest  your 
laughter  be  turned  into  mourning,  and  your  joy  into 
heaviness. 

Think  of  them,  ye  who  are  not  thoughtless.  It 
is  not  certain  that  you  will  become  Christians,  even 
though  you^  are  serious.  You  may  not  be  willing  to 
travel  through  the  darkness  and  the  deep.  You  may 
lose  all  solemnity,  and  go  back  to  the  world.  Beware 
that  none  of  you  do  this.  Be  not  afraid  of  anxiety, 
nor  of  darkness,  nor  of  tears.  Weeping  may  endure 
for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.     If  they  be 


238  THE  NIGHT  OP  TEARS,  ETC. 

tears  of  godly  sorrow,  despair  will  give  place  to  hope, 
turmoil  to  peace,  grief  to  joy.  You  shall  live  to  praise 
him,  and  abundantly  to  utter  the  memory  of  his  great 
mercy. 

If  any  of  you  are  Christians,  and  in  mourning,  you 
will  see  better  days.  "  Your  light  shall  yet  break  forth 
as  the  morning,  and  your  health  shall  spring  forth 
speedily."  Unto  the  upright  there  ariseth  light  in  the 
midst  of  the  darkness.  Weeping  will  not  endure  al- 
ways ;  the  morning  of  joy  shall  break  upon  these  dark 
mountains ;  and  your  song  shall  be  the  sweeter  for  all 
the  darkness  and  the  deep  through  which  God  has  led 
you. 


SERMON  XXII. 

ROOM    ENOUGH    YET. 

Luke  xiv.  22.      And  yet  there  is  room. 

All  may  come  to  Christ,  and  be  saved,  who  will. 
No  man,  or  angel,  may  shut  the  door  of  hope,  or  bid 
any  poor  sinner  go  away. 

We  are  told  in  the  chapter  which  contains  the  text, 
that  "  a  certain  man  made  a  great  supper,  and  bade 
many."  At  supper  time,  "  he  sent  his  servant  to  say 
to  them  that  were  bidden,  Come,  for  all  things  are  now 
ready."  But  they  would  not  come.  And  what  did 
the  master  of  the  feast  do,  but  bid  the  messenger  "  go 
out  immediately  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city, 
and  bring  in  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  halt,  and  the 
blind."  He  went  and  brought  them  in,  and  then  came 
back  and  said,  "  Lord,  it  is  done  as  thou  hast  com- 
manded, and  yet  there  is  room.'''' 

T\\Q  feast  referred  to,  means  the  provision  God  has 
made  in  the  Gospel  for  the  salvation  of  men.  The 
Messenger  employed  to  carry  the  invitation  at  supper 
time,  denotes  his  Son.  The  conduct  of  those  who 
w^ould  not  come,  represents  the  conduct  of  all  those 
who  hear  and  reject  this  gracious  invitation.  The 
message  to  the  lanes  and  streets  of  the  cit}^,  denotes 
the  carrying  of  the  Gospel  to  those  who  had  been  at 
first  overlooked.     And  the  declaration  of  the  Messen- 


240  ROOM   ENOUGH   YET. 

ger,  that,  after  these  were  invited  and  had  come  to  the 
feast,  there  was  room  enough  yet,  was  designed  to  show 
that  there  is  yet  room  for  all  to  come  who  will. 

This  is  true,  my  friends,  and  a  delightful  truth  it  is. 
There  is  yet  room. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  in  God's  infinite  mercy.  This 
.s  a  fountain  that  never  fails,  an  ocean  that  is  al- 
ways full.  It  is  like  God's  eternity  and  immensity,  no 
one  can  measure  it.  It  is  high  as  heaven,  deep  as 
hell ;  the  measure  thereof  is  longer  than  the  earth,  and 
broader  than  the  sea.  We  can  no  more  dive  into 'the 
heart  of  God,  and  explore  the  boundless  depths  of  his  in- 
finite mercy,  than  w^e  can  sound  eternity  itself.  We  have 
no  line  long  enough,  and  no  sins  heavy  enough  to  do  this. 
It  has  poured  forth  unsearchable  riches,  but  never  can 
they  be  poured  out  in  such  full  measure,  as  that  there 
shall  not  be  unsearchable  riches  of  mercy  remaining. 
"  His  mercy  endureth  forever."  It  is  no  marvel,  that 
those  who  measure  God's  mercies  by  their  own,  think 
that  they  are  limited  and  shortened.  But  in  nothing  is 
short-sighted  man  more  at  fault,  than  in  such  un- 
worthy notions  of  God.  "  He  is  able  to  do  exceeding 
abundantly,  above  all  that  we  can  ask,  or  think." 

2.  In  the  second  place,  there  is  room  in  the  great 
Atonement  made  hy  the  death  of  Christ.  It  is  not  won- 
derful that  the  sinner  is  afraid  lest  dWinQ  justice  should 
shut  the  door  against  him.  The  law  of  God,  and  his 
own  conscience,  naturally  create  and  sustain  this  ter- 
rible fear.  It  is  but  justice,  it  is  but  equity,  that  he 
should  perish.  And  he  must  have  perished,  but  for  the 
death  of  Christ,  dying  in  the  sinner's  place,  and  suffer- 
ing the  wrath  of  God,  the  just  for  the  unjust.  Justice 
is  so  entirely  satisfied  by  this  great  Propitiation,  that 


ROOM  ENOUGH   YET. 


241 


whosoever  will  may  come.  Their  supper  is  prepared ; 
there  is  bread  enough,  and  to  spare ;  there  is  wine  and 
milk,  without  money  and  without  price.  None  are 
excluded  from  its  divinely  commissioned  offers ;  none 
are  discouraged  from  accepting  them;  none  are  em- 
barrassed ;  not  a  soul  need  perish,  so  long  as  there  is 
this  city  of  refuge.  "  Look  unto  me/'  says  that  ador- 
able Saviour,  "and  be  ye  saved,  all  ye  ends  of  the 
earth,  for  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  else."  He  has 
enough  for  all.  "  Him  that  cometh  to  me,"  says  he,  "J 
will  in  no  wise  cast  out." 

3.  There  is  yet  room  in  the  household  of  faith. 
Enough  there  are  who  know  not  Grod ;  the  household  of 
faith  imbodies  but  a  small  part  of  those  who  will  finally 
be  saved.  It  is  God's  purpose  that  this  family  of  his 
Son  shall  be  greatly  increased,  and  hereafter  fill  the 
earth.  Happy,  indeed,  are  those  who  are  already 
brought  into  it;  for  they  have  "a  name  better  than 
that  of  sons  and  daughters."  But  this  divine  family 
claims  no  monopoly  of  privileges.  Those  who  are 
within,  are  no  hindrance  to  those  who  are  without. 
The  church  of  God  opens  her  doors  to  all  who  wish  to 
enter  in ;  her  arms  and  her  heart  are  extended  to  men 
of  every  age,  and  rank,  and  condition ;  nor  is  she  ever 
more  gratified,  than  when  the  weary  and  heavy-laden 
direct  their  feet  to  her  temples,  and  in  crowds  come  to 
her  solemn  feasts.  She  looks  with  interest  on  seamen — 
on  those  whose  calling  separates  them  so  much  from  her 
holy  hill ;  and  longs  for  the  time  to  come  when  "  the 
abundance  of  the  seas  shall  be  converted  unto  God," 
and  many  a  wandering  and  houseless  mariner  shall  sit 
down  at  her  feast  of  mercy.  She  is  even  now  sending 
forth  her  servants  to  compel  them  to  come  in.     The 

11 


242  ROOM  ENOUGH  YET. 

"  Bride"  says,  Come.  No  matter  who,  no  matter  how 
many;  there  is  enough  for  them — enough  of  pardon, 
peace,  joy,  and  heaven. 

4.  This  leads  me  to  remark,  in  the  fourth  place, 
there  is  yet  room  in  the  heavenly  world.  There  are 
**  many  mansions"  there  ;  and  other  sheep  that  are  not 
yet  gathered  that  must  be  brought  into  the  fold.  There 
the  ''  many  sons ;"  the  ''  nations  of  the  saved  ;"  the 
"  innumerable  company  ;"  the  "  many  who  shall  come 
from  the  East,  and  from  the  West,  and  from  the  North, 
and  from  the  South,"  are  yet  to  sit  down  with  Abraham 
and  Isaac  and  Jacob  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
numbers  are  not  yet  completed ;  nor  will  the  comple- 
ment be  made  up,  until  myriads  upon  myriads  more  are 
brought  home  to  that  glorious  world.  Its  gates  are  never 
shut,  night  nor  day.  O  yes,  there  is  a  place  in  that 
upper  Sanctuary  for  more  of  you — a  robe  of  righteous- 
ness, a  harp  of  gold,  an  everlasting  song.  There  is  yet 
room  for  you  at  the  Marriage  Supper  of  the  Lamb. 

''  There  your  seats  are  now  prepared, 
There  your  kingdom  and  reward." 

5.  There  is  room,  in  the  fifth  place,  in  the  opportu- 
nities and  means  of  grace  and  salvation.  None  in 
Christian  lands  are  shut  out  from  these  privileges,  un- 
less they  exclude  themselves.  Sometimes  God  gives 
men  over  to  a  reprobate  mind,  and  curses  their  very 
blessings,  and  makes  them  a  savor  of  death  unto  death. 
But  who  shall  limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,  or  set  bounds 
to  his  forbearance  and  long-suffering  ?  There  is  a  state 
of  mind  that  solicits  depression.  Men  sometimes  get  so 
deeply  into  the  snares  of  the  devil,  that  they  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  their  day  of  grace  is  past,  and  that 


ROOM  ENOUGH  YET.  243 

there  is  nothing  left  for  them  but  to  despair  and  die. 
There  is  mercy  for  others,  there  is  room  for  others,  in 
Jesus  and  in  heaven,  but  none  for  them  !  But  who  is 
it  that  says  this ?  Has  God  saTd  it?  Has  the  Saviour 
said  it  ?  Has  the  Holy  Spirit  anywhere  recorded  it  ? 
No :  it  is  the  devil  who  says  it ;  it  is  the  father  of  lies 
who  says  it.  It  may  be  that  the  best  and  most  hopeful 
season  of  repentance  is  gone  by ;  the  bright  morning 
may  be  past,  and  clouds  may  be  gathering  over  their 
evening  sky.  And  it  may  be,  too,  that  these  their  very 
fears  indicate  the  striving  of  God's  Spirit,  and  show  that 
their  day  of  grace  is  even  now  most  rich  in  promise. 
I  would  not  dare  to  say,  there  is  one  among  all  the  living 
who  may  not  seek  and  find.  Late  repentance  may  not 
be  genuine ;  but  genuine  repentance  is  never  too  late. 
The  vilest  may  say.  Who  can  tell,  if  there  may  not  be  hope 
even  for  me  ?  There  was  for  the  dying  thief;  who  can 
tell  if  not  for  me  ?  Who  can  tell  even  amid  the  hour 
of  great  darkness,  *'  if  God  will  not  turn,  and  repent,  and 
turn  away  from  his  fierce  anger  ?"  I  have  known  in- 
stances not  a  few,  in  which  persons  had  supposed  the 
door  of  mercy  fast  shut  and  barred  against  them,  who 
actually  found  it  wide  open.  And  I  hesitate  not  to  say, 
that  the  most  desperate  transgressor  this  side  eternal 
burnings,  does  but  add  to  his  wickedness  by  yielding  to 
the  temptation  that  he  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  di- 
vine forbearance.  « 
I  may  add,  ^ 
6.  In  the  sixth  place,  there  is  yet  room,  notwithstand- 
ing the  multitudes  who  have  already  become  partakers 
of  this  great  salvation.  Jews  and  Gentiles  have  been 
gathered  in,  but  yet  there  is  room.  The  sick  and  the 
poor,  the  bond  and  the  free,  the  learned  and  the  igno- 


244 


ROOM  ENOUGH  YET. 


rant,  the  refined  and  the  vulgar,  the  moral  and  the  im- 
moral, men  of  every  name  and  calling,  on  land  and  sea, 
have  been  gathered  in ;  and  yet  there  is  room.  The 
Gospel  has  had  great  success  in  our  world  ;  it  has  had 
free  course;  it  has  found  its  way  to  the  palaces  of 
kings,  and  fruits  have  been  harvested  from  the  high- 
ways and  hedges,  and  from  among  the  halt,  the  lame, 
and  the  blind ;  it  has  travelled  almost  from  pole  to  pole, 
and  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  to  his  going  down ;  and 
yet  is  there  room.  From  every  generation  that  has 
been  born,  multitudes  have  come  in,  and  God's  house  has 
rejoiced  in  the  accession  of  her  numbers,  strength,  and 
graces.  From  the  harvest  of  nineteen  centuries,  what 
sheaves  have  been  brought  into  the  garner  of  the  great 
Husbandman !     And  yet  there  is  room. . 

There  is  room,  my  friends,  for  you — for  every  one 
of  you,  without  distinction  and  without  exception. 
Your  parents  have  been  gathered  in,  but  there  is  room 
for  you.  Your  friends,  your  companions,  have  been 
gathered  in,  but  there  is  room  for  you.  In  defiance  of 
your  sins,  your  temptations,  your  calling,  your  fears, 
your  delay,  there  is  room /or  you.  Jesus'  work  is  not 
done  on  the  earth ;  time  has  not  sealed  up  your  account ; 
even  now,  after  so  long  a  period  of  folly,  the  Spirit  of 
God  invites  you  to  repent  and  believe  the  Gospel. 

Our  commission  extends  to  you ;  it  is  to  bring  you 
in,  whoever  you  are.  It  is  to  constrain,  to  compel 
you,  by  the  power  of  God's  truth,  by  the  plenitude  of 
his  love,  by  the  tenderness  of  his  compassion,  by  the 
bloody  agonies  of  his  cross,  by  the  provisions  of  his 
table,  by  his  crown  of  righteousness. 

Can  I  not  move  you  ?  O  if  you  are  not  made  of 
brass ;  if  you  cannot  dwell  with  everlasting  fire  and  in- 


ROOM   ENOUGH  YET.  245 

habit  eternal  burnings,  come  while  it  is  called  to-day, 
and  while  there  is  room  for  you.  What  is  it  you  are 
waiting  for  ?  You  are  needy ;  you  are  miserable  and 
perishing  sinners ;  what  more  do  you  need  in  order  to 
feel  that  you  have  the  warrant  to  come  to  Jesus  ?  You 
are  expressly  invited :  will  you  not  come  in,  that  his 
house  may  be  filled  ? 

We  read  in  the  Scriptures  that  *'  they  that  were  ready 
went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage,  and  the  door  was  shut!'' 
There.will  be  no  room  for  you  then,  however  much  you 
may  wish  to  enter.  "  He  that  openeth  and  no  man 
shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man  openeth,"  will  shut 
to  the  door,  and  you  shall  stand  without  and  say,  Lord, 
Lord,  open  to  us — open  to  us  !  It  will  be  a  fearful  thing 
then  to  be  shut  out — shut  out  from  God — shut  out  from 
all  that  is  holy  and  lovely  in  the  universe — shut  out  from 
heaven  and  shut  up  in  hell,  with  malignant  devils  and 
the  lost  spirits  of  wicked  men — lost  because  they  are 
wicked,  and  then  the  more  wicked,  because  they  are 
themselves  to  be  lost  and  damned  forever.  It  will  do 
you  no  good  to  believe  there  is  no  such  place  as  hell ; 
this  belief  will  not  help  you  to  escape  it,  nor  to  enter 
into  heaven.  It  may,  on  the  other  hand,  shut  you  out 
of  heaven,  and  shut  you  up  in  hell  forever.  Rather 
believe  there  is  a  Saviour,  and  that  he  welcomes  you 
to  his  arms  and  to  his  heart ;  rather  believe  there  is 
such  a  place  as  heaven,  and  that  now  its  doors  are 
open,  and  you  may  enter  in. 


SERMON  XXIII. 

THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD  IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN 
LIFE. 

Psalm  xci.  16.    With  long  life  will  I  satisfy  him. 

Could  the  temporal  blessings  of  the  world  all  be  col- 
lected together  and  enjoyed  by  one  man,  his  own  sin- 
gle life  would  outweigh  them  all.  "All  that  a  man 
hath  will  he  give  for  his  life,"  is  a  truth,  though  uttered 
by  the  father  of  lies.  There  may  be  instances  in  which 
human  life  is  perverted  and  abused ;  while  this  misap- 
plication of  the  gift  is  no  impeachment  of  the  bounty 
of  the  Giver.  And  if  life  itself  is  a  proof  of  the  divine 
goodness,  so  is  the  continuance  of  life.  It  is  a  renewal 
of  the  gift  itself,  and  a  prolonged  expression  of  the  same 
divine  goodness  which  first  gave  it.  The  text  is  the 
language  of  promise ;  and  the  blessing  of  life  is  the 
greatest  of  earthly  blessings.  *'  With  long  life  will 
I  satisfy  him."  The  subject  of  the  present  discourse, 
therefore,  is  the  goodness  of  God  in  prolonging  hu- 
man LIFE.     This  thought  may  be  illustrated, 

L  By  the  instinctive  love  of  life  which  is  found  in 
evejy  human  bosom. 

The  love  of  life  is  one  of  the  last  principles  in  our 
nature,  if  not  the  last,  that  is  ever  subdued.  There  is 
a  natural  antipathy  in  man  to  the  separation  of  the  soul 
and  the  body.  Every  man  feels  it.  Dissevered  from 
the  light,  and  hopes,  and  influences  of  Christianity, 


THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD,  ETC.  347 

there  is  no  event  so  dark  and  gloomy.  To  the  living, 
it  is  an  untried  event ;  no  one  has  ever  returned  from 
that  struggle  to  tell  us  what  is  meant  by  a  conflict  with 
the  last  enemy.  We  irresistibly  throw  around  it  all 
the  images  of  fearfulness  and  desolation,  and  even  of 
sickening  horror.  That  corporeal  frame,  once  so  beau- 
tiful and  fair,  now  a  mass  of  loathsome  corruption ; 
that  body  so  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made,  now  so 
worn,  wearied,  sickened,  decayed,  that  the  active  and 
impatient  spirit  can  no  longer  use  it,  reads  a  melan- 
choly lesson.  Yet  in  spite  of  ourselves,  we  feel  that  the 
sentence  of  the  Almighty  Judge  has  placed  us  in  this 
state  of  awful  condemnation.  That  life  of  conscious- 
ness, reason  and  immortality,  takes  the  alarm,  and  in- 
quires, What  will  that  perpetual  hereafter  be,  to  which 
I  am  destined  ?  These  bonds  which  have  united  me 
to  earth,  when  once  severed,  will  they  be  superseded 
by  other  and  higher  sympathies ;  and  these  relation- 
ships, so  extended  and  strengthened  by  time,  and  so 
tender  and  joyous,  will  they  all  expire  ?  It  is  not  in 
man  to  contemplate  the  great  event  which  decides 
these  questions,  without  solicitude :  and  few  there  are 
who  contemplate  it  with  so  little  apprehension,  that 
they  do  not  deem  it  a  privilege  to  contemplate  it  at  a 
distance. 

Death  removes  from  us  all  the  objects  and  concerns 
of  this  world.  Whatever  they  are,  or  have  been,  at 
that  solemn  hour  they  pass  from  us,  in  a  moment.  Our 
time  of  trial,  whether  it  have  been  long  or  short,  and 
whatever  be  our  character,  or  the  issues  of  the  trial,  is 
then  closed.  The  righteous,  from  that  day  onward, 
will  have  no  more  darkness,  nor  doubt,  nor  fear ;  the 
wicked,  from  that  day  onward,  will  be  driven  away  in 


24^  THE   GOODNESS   OP   GOD 

their  wickedness,  from  every  prospect  of  good,  from 
every  means  of  grace,  and  every  gleam  of  liope,  and 
enter  upon  their  unalterable  eternity.  There  is  good- 
ness, great  goodness  in  God  in  prolonging  the  life  which 
he  has  given. 

11.  In  the  second  place,  this  thought  may  be  illus- 
trated by  the  special  care  and  providence  of  God,  by 
which  human  life  is  prolonged. 

One  man  does  not  live  longer  than  another,  as  a 
matter  of  course.  There  are  no  laws  of  nature,  or  of 
his  own  physical,  or  intellectual  constitution,  by  which 
the  life  of  any  one  is  necessarily  prolonged  an  hour. 
Men  die  at  every  stage  of  life,  from  infancy  to  old  age. 
There  is  not  a  greater  diversity  of  age  in  the  congre- 
gations of  the  living,  than  is  to  be  found  in  the  great 
congregation  of  the  dead.  It  is  impossible  to  predict 
how  long  the  aged  will  live,  or  how  soon  the  young 
may  die.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  weak,  the 
sickly,  and  the  frail,  to  survive  the  strong,  the  healthy, 
and  the  vigorous.  "  One  dieth  in  his  full  strength, 
living  wholly  at  ease,  and  quiet.  Another  dieth  in  the 
bitterness  of  his  soul,  and  never  eateth  with  pleasure." 
Men  die  everywhere  ;  from  every  station,  every  office, 
every  employment,  every  sorrow  and  every  joy.  Death 
reigns  over  the  palace,  and  the  cottage ;  at  the  festive 
board,  and  in  the  house  of  prayer  ;  amid  the  toils  of 
men,  and  amid  their  amusements  ;  in  the  house,  and 
by  the  way ;  on  the  land,  and  on  the  sea ;  by  unex- 
pected casualty,  and  by  gradually  approaching  disease  ; 
by  the  elements,  and  by  the  sword  ;  by  the  malignant 
hands  of  enemies,  and  by  the  mistaken  kindness  of  a 
friend.  Folly  and  sin  do  not  shield  them  from  the 
stroke ;  nor  are  they  protected  by  their  wisdom  and 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN   LIFE.  249 

piety.  Talent  and  usefulness  afford  them  no  security  ; 
nor  are  any  so  obscure  and  useless  that  death  does  not 
search  them  out.  *'  We  see  that  wise  men  die,  like- 
wise the  fool  and  the  brutish  person  perish."  The 
"  mighty  man,  and  the  man  of  war,  the  judge  and  the 
prophet,  the  prudent  and  the  ancient,  the  captain  of 
fifty  and  the  honorable  man,  and  the  counsellor,  and 
the  cunning  artificer,  and  the  eloquent  orator,"  are 
equally  liable  to  finish  their  course,  and  lie  down  in  the 
dust.  "  Thou  earnest  them  away  as  with  a  flood." 
Human  life  is  like  the  rapid  passage  of  an  impetuous 
torrent.  It  passes,  and  is  gone.  It  is  like  a  dream — a 
night  of  undisturbed  slumber,  from  which,  when  we 
awake,  the  time  passed  in  it  appears  as  a  cipher.  It 
is  like  the  grass  which  groweth  up  ;  in  the  morning  it 
flourisheth,  and  in  the  evening  it  is  cut  down  and 
withered,  and  all  its  beauty,  health  and  vigor  are  turned 
again  to  the  earth.  It  is  like  a  lighted  candle ;  it  will 
soon  burn  away,  and  go  out  of  itself;  while  at  any  mo- 
ment, it  may  be  extinguished  by  a  breath  of  air,  or  a 
few  particles  of  moisture.  Nay,  it  is  like  a  vapor, — 
a  thing  of  air, — a  fluid  floating  in  the  atmosphere, — a 
smoke  which  the  wind  driveth  away, — the  most  unsub- 
stantial, fleeting,  and  transitory  thing  in  the  world. 

Great  care  is  necessary,  therefore,  on  the  part  of  God, 
to  cherish  and  prolong  such  a  frail  existence  as  this, 
and  amid  so  many  and  constant  exposures.  If  pro- 
longed at  all,  it  is  by  interpositions  strongly  marked 
with  divine  watchfulness  and  benignity.  We  need  not 
be  so  much  surprised  to  see  men  die,  as  to  see  that 
they  are  kept  from  dying.  The  wonder  is  not,  that  so 
many  die  so  soon,  as  that,  under  the  sentence  of  death, 
and  in  such  a  world,  and  amid  so  many  exposures,  any 


250  THE  GOODNESS  OP  GOD 

should  live  so  long.  Multitudes  have  been  as  it  were 
dying  for  a  series  of  years,  and  still  they  live.  Multi- 
tudes, who,  in  the  judgment  of  their  fellow-men,  long 
since  bore  all  the  marks  of  premature  death,  have  lived 
to  see  those  marks  obliterated,  and  now  give  all  the 
indications  of  prolonged  years.  Multitudes  who,  from 
year  to  year,  have  themselves  looked  for  an  early  grave, 
have  found  their  melancholy  apprehensions  defeated, 
and  are  yet  in  the  land  of  the  living.  Who  that  hears 
me  cannot  look  back  upon  expressions  of  restoring,  or 
preserving  mercy,  by  which  he  has  been  snatched  from 
the  grave  ?  From  how  many  perilous  events  have 
you  but  just  made  your  escape  ?  In  how  many  differ- 
ent departments  of  human  life,  in  how  many  scenes  of 
unexpected  danger,  have  you  been  kept  as  the  apple 
of  God's  eye  ?  Not  few  are  those  periods  in  the  history 
of  almost  every  man,  in  which,  to  human  view,  there 
was  little  to  hope,  and  everything  to  fear,  and  from 
which  he  has  been  mercifully  rescued.  Who  does  not 
see,  in  a  multitude  of  instances,  that  nothing  but  the 
hand  of  God  has  kept  him  from  the  grave  ?  Our  times 
and  seasons  are  all  in  his  hand.  Nothing  is  more  ob- 
vious than  his  goodness  in  prolonging  the  life  of  man. 
But  I  remark, 

III.  This  thought  may  be  illustrated,  in  the  third 
place,  by  contrasting  the  divine  goodness  in  prolonging 
human  life,  with  the  divine  sovereignty  in  taking  it 
away. 

God  takes  away  the  life  of  man,  as  well  as  gives,  and 
prolongs  it.  His  sovereignty  in  cutting  short  the  lives 
of  men,  calls  for  cordial  and  unreserved  submission  ; 
while  his  goodness  in  prolonging  them,  calls  for  adoring 
gratitude.     "  We  live,  while   others  are  dead,"  is  a 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN  LIFE.  251 

thought  very  often  upon  the  lips  of  men  ;  but  it  is  one 
which  furnishes  affecting  proof  of  the  divine  goodness. 
Wliy  is  it  that  some  Hve,  while  others  die  ?  Are  the 
living  wiser,  better,  holier,  or  more  useful  than  the 
wise,  and  good,  and  useful  who  have  gone  to  their  last 
earthly  rest  ?  Have  they  any  stronger  hold  on  life  ? 
Have  they  a  better  title  to  it,  and  would  God  have 
done  them  any  injustice,  had  he  spared  the  dead,  and 
cut  off  the  living  ?  Are  they  the  wicked,  and  the  vi- 
cious, and  vile  only  that  have  died*;  or  are  the  wicked, 
and  vicious,  and  vile  still  among  the  living?  There 
are  those  who  have  lived  to  see  whole  generations  die. 
They  stand  almost  alone  amidst  a  younger  race,  and 
talk  only  of  the  events  of  other  times,  and  of  men  who 
flourished  before  the  rising,  and  risen  generations  had 
existence.  They  have  lived  to  see  the  changes  which 
the  current  of  time  has  made  in  this  transitory  world. 
And  who  hath  thus  made  the  living  to  differ  from  the 
dead  ?  What  arm  has  restrained  the  ruthless  axe  of 
time  from  them,  which  has  been  laying  millions  low  ? 
There  is  but  one  answer  to  these  questions.  The 
difference  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  unmerited,  and 
sovereign  favor  of  God.  No  reason  can  be  found  for 
it  elsewhere.  It  is  an  expression  of  the  divine  good- 
ness and  mercy ;  and  it  is  one  among  those  extra-dis- 
pensations, those  rare  expressions  of  divine  goodness, 
to  account  for  which,  we  must  have  recourse  to  the 
will  of  God,  and  ascribe  all  to  him.  There  is  no 
chance  or  accident  here ;  and  there  is  something  more 
than  natural  causes :  it  is  the  hand  of  God. 

IV.  A  fourth  consideration,  in  illustration  of  this 
thought,  is,  that  in  prolonging  the  lives  of  men,  God 
gives  them  time  and  opportunity  for  repentance. 


252  THE  GOODNESS  OF   GOD 

The  soul  is  the  most  important,  the  all-important 
part  of  man.  There  are  seasons  when,  in  contem- 
plating the  divine  care  over  human  life,  we  are  con- 
strained to  demand  with  the  Psalmist,  "  Lord,  what  is 
man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him ;  and  the  son  of  man, 
that  thou  visitest  him !"  Nor  are  the  reasons  of  this 
wondrous  condescension  hidden  from  us.  This  vapory, 
evanescent  thing,  which  we  call  human  life,  is  the 
envelope  which  wraps  up  an  immaterial  and  immortal 
existence  ;  and  in  J;hus  watchfully  protecting  it,  the 
God  of  mercy  has  an  ulterior  regard  to  the  soul.  He 
guards  the  frail  casket,  for  the  sake  of  the  jewel  which 
it  contains ;  he  encamps  around  the  threatened  and 
tottering  tenement,  from  regard  to  the  immortal  tenant 
who  occupies  it.  He  views  men,  not  only  in  the  light 
in  which  they  now  appear,  and  as  inhabitants  of  time, 
but  in  the  light  in  which  they  will  appear  in  future 
ages,  and  as  inhabitants  of  eternity. 

Man  is  fallen  by  his  iniquity,  and  under  the  wrath 
and  curse  of  God.  Yet,  through  Jesus  Christ,  is  there 
for  him  a  way  of  pardon  and  eternal  life.  The  world 
he  occupies  is  the  prison  of  hope.  The  short  term  of 
human  life  is  the  only  day  of  grace  and  space  for  re- 
pentance. Within  this  period  are  compressed  all  the 
offers  of  mercy,  all  the  instructions  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Sabbath ;  all  the  warnings  of  divine  providence,  ail 
the  strivings,  and  all  the  reviving  influences  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  ;  all  the  solemnity,  and  tenderness,  and 
prayer,  by  which  men  are  led  to  the  knowledge  of 
themselves  and  the  great  Redeemer,  and  all  the  in- 
stances of  repentance  that  ever  take  place  among 
fallen  men.  These  are  all  ended,  and  there  is  no  in- 
stance of  repentance  when  once  human  hfe  is  come  to 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN   LIFE.  253 

a  close.  It  is  the  wildest  delusion  to  look  for  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  our  peace  with  God  beyond  the 
grave.  Up  to  the  very  eleventh  hour,  there  is  hope. 
The  day  of  grace  is  not  closed,  the  space  for  repentance 
is  not  over,  the  door  of  mercy  is  not  forever  shut  until 
the  last  breath  is  gone  that  expels  the  soul  from  the 
worn-out  house  of  her  earthly  tabernacle.  Not  a  few 
do  indeed  abuse  this  truth,  and  defer  the  work  of  their 
salvation  until  the  hour  of  death,  and  perish  for  their 
presumption.  But  it  is  still  a  truth,  and  one  which  has 
led  some  of  our  race  truly  to  repent  and  believe  in  the  Son 
of  God,  at  a  very  late  period  of  their  earthly  existence. 
How,  then,  does  the  divine  goodness  shine  in 
sparing  the  forfeited  lives  of  men,  prolonging  their 
dw^elling  upon  earth,  and  lengthening  out  the  day  of 
their  merciful  visitation  !  How  many  are  now  in  hea- 
ven, who  would  never  have  entered  there,  had  not  God 
in  mercy  permitted  them  to  live  twenty  years,  instead 
of  ten ;  or  forty,  instead  of  twenty !  How  many  in  our 
guilty  world  would  have  died  in  their  sins,  if  they  had 
died  the  last  year!  How  many,  even,  in  this  small 
congregation,  would  have  perished  without  hope,  if 
they  had  died  during  their  last  voyage  !  How  many 
of  us  should  have  now  been  lifting  our  eyes  in  torment, 
had  we  died  twenty,  or  ten,  or  five  years  ago  !  *'  The 
long-suffering  of  God  is  salvation."  His  goodness  in 
prolonging  human  life  is  as  great  as  the  multitude  of 
his  pardons ;  as  great  as  the  worth  of  the  soul ;  as 
great  as  the  perdition  from  which  it  delivers ;  as  great 
as  the  heaven  it  bestows.  "  Millions  of  money,"  ex- 
claimed an  agonized  and  dying  Queen,  *'  for  a  moment 
of  time !"     A  year,  a  month,  a  week,  a  day,  a  single 


254  THE  GOODNESS  OP  GOD 

hour  added  to  the  fleeting  period  of  human  life,  may- 
be, and  often  is,  the  turning  point  for  eternity. 

V.  I  remark,  in  the  fifth  place,  the  divine  goodness 
in  prolonging  human  life,  appears  in  the  consequent 
graces  and  hopes  of  his  own  people. 

God  prolongs  the  life  of  his  own  people,  and  often 
interposes  to  snatch  them  from  the  grave,  for  the  most 
benevolent  and  gracious  purposes.  There  are,  indeed, 
not  a  few  of  them  who  have  such  clear  evidence  of 
their  adoption  into  the  divine  family,  that  they  are  con- 
scious that  they  have  more  to  gain  than  to  lose  by 
leaving  the  present  world.  Yet  how  many  good  men 
are  to  be  found,  who,  as  they  were  sinking  under  the 
power  of  disease,  and  as  death  seemed  to  be  coming  up 
into  their  chambers,  have  expressed  such  sentiments  as 
these:  *'God  has  taken  me  by  surprise.  Though  I 
have  hopes,  precious  hopes,  yet  is  it  a  dark  hour.  I 
had  hoped  to  be  better  fitted  for  heaven  than  I  am  ;  and 
if  it  be  his  blessed  will,  I  have  still  a  desire  to  live." 
When  curtained  by  all  the  tenderness  and  solemnity 
of  the  bed  of  death,  good  men  feel  that  it  is  a  deeply 
solemn  thing  to  leave  the  present  world,  and  enter  upon 
the  unchanging  allotments  of  the  future.  Not  unfre- 
quently  they  tremble  as  they  approach  the  grave ;  and 
you  may  hear  them  pleading  in  the  language  of  the 
Psalmist,  *'  Remove  thy  stroke  away  from  me :  I  am 
consumed  by  the  blow  of  thine  hand.  When  thou 
with  rebukes  dost  correct  man  for  iniquity,  thou  makest 
his  beauty  to  consume  away  like  the  moth.  Hear  my 
prayer,  O  Lord,  and  give  ear  to  my  cry :  hold  not  thy 
peace  at  my  tears ;  for  I  am  a  stranger  with  thee,  and 
a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fathers  were.  O  spare  me,  that 
I  may  recover  strength,  before  I  go  hence,  and  be  no 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN  LIFE.  255 

more!"  They  would  live,  and  examine  their  hearts 
afresh,  and  know  more  satisfactorily  that  all  will  be 
well  with  them.  They  may  hope  to  die  safely,  and 
yet  feel  that  they  have  barely  religion  enough  to  fur- 
nish some  of  the  fainter  marks  of  God's  children.  They 
would  not  go  forth  to  meet  the  Bridegroom  without 
trimming  their  lamps  afresh.  The  thought  distresses 
them  to  die  so  unprepared.  Sometimes,  they  fear  they 
have  some  sins  unrepented  of,  and  the  forgiveness  of 
which  they  have  not  found  so  sealed  by  the  blood  of 
sprinkling  as  they  desire.  They  would  be  more  holy, 
more  weaned  from  the  world,  and  more  attached  to 
God  and  heaven;  and  thus  die  more  in  peace,  and 
more  to  the  honor  of  God  and  true  religion.  And  in 
thus  prolonging  the  lives  of  his  people,  who  does  not 
gratefully  recognize  God's  goodness  ?     I  add, 

VI.  In  the  sixth  place,  the  divine  goodness  in  pro- 
longing human  life  is  evinced  by  the  fact,  that  his 
benevolent  purposes  toward  our  world  are,  for  the 
most  part,  accomplished  through  the  agency  of  living 
men. 

Some  of  these  are  accomplished,  it  is  true,  through 
the  instrumentality  of  mere  physical  and  irresponsible 
causes ;  but  most  of  them,  and  those  the  most  impor- 
tant, are  accomplished  through  the  agency  of  moral 
causes,  or  men.  Some  of  them  are  accomplished 
through  the  agency  of  men,  after  they  are  dead ;  be- 
cause men  live  by  their  influence  and  actions,  long 
after  they  sleep  in  the  dust.  But  the  most  of  them  are 
accomplished  through  living  men;  men  whose  exist- 
ence is  prolonged  in  order  to  secure  these  great  ends. 

The  lives  of  men  are  lengthened  out,  not  more  for 
their  own  benefit,  than  for  the  benefit  of  others.     We 


S50  THE  GOODNESS  OF  GOD 

are  prone  to  overlook  the  purpose,  as  well  as  the  hand 
of  God,  in  prolonging  human  life.  Just  so  long  as 
men,  in  any  department  of  human  life,  be  it  ever  so  ex- 
alted, or  ever  so  debased,  have  anything  to  do  for  God, 
and  can  be  employed  in  accomplishing  his  purposes,  he 
lengthens  out  their  days.  He  will  take  care  that  not 
one  shall  be  called  to  his  grave,  before  his  allotted  work 
is  done.  He  will  watch  over  all  their  course,  and  con- 
tinue to  them  the  time  and  opportunity  of  fulfilling  all 
his  counsel,  until  all  the  wise  and  benevolent  designs 
which  he  purposes  to  execute  by  their  instrumentality, 
are  accomplished. 

This  is  an  expression  of  great  goodness  on  the  part 
of  God.  Men  sometimes  sink  into  the  grave  without 
having  apparently  accomplished  anything  worth  living 
for.  Good  men  often  see  life  wearing  away,  and  the 
opportunity  of  usefulness  just  about  to  be  circumscribed 
by  the  narrow  limits  of  the  tomb  ;  and  it  covers  them 
with  shame  that  they  should  have  lived  to  so  little  pur- 
pose, and  done  so  little  for  a  redeemed  church  and  a 
ruined  w^orld.  They  know  the  value  of  human  life, 
and  are  grateful  for  the  goodness  that  still  lengthens  it 
out.  In  this  view  of  the  divine  goodness  in  prolonging 
life,  its  trials  and  sorrows  can  scarcely  have  a  place. 
Those  there  are  whom  God  spares,  both  to  do  and 
suffer  his  will ;  and  when  they  both  do  and  suffer  it  as 
they  ought,  though  their  race  is  lengthened  out,  it  is 
but  to  enhance  their  prize ;  though  the  conflict  may  be 
severe,  it  is  to  brighten  their  crown ;  and  though  it  be 
to  augment  their  toil  and  sorrow,  it  is  also  to  enlarge 
their  reward.  That  will  be  the  happiest  and  most 
honored  man  in  heaven,  who  has  been  the  holiest,  and 
lived  the  longest,  and  done  and  suffered  the  most  for 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN  LIFE.  257 

God  in  the  present  world.  There  is  nothing,  there- 
fore, equivocal  in  the  proofs  of  the  divine  goodness  in 
prolonging  human  life. 

The  preceding  thoughts  suggest  the   following  re- 
flections : — 

1.  In  the  first  place,  they  enforce  the  importance  of 
employing  hunian  life  for-  the  great  purposes  for  which 
it  is  given  and  prolonged.  We  may  all  wonder,  and 
with  an  admiration  that  is  full  of  holy  gratitude,  that  we 
have  not  long  since  been  cut  down  as  cumberers  of 
the  ground.  And  if  we  w^ould  not  bury  all  grateful 
remembrance  of  his  goodness  in  the  grave  of  a  forget- 
ful heart ;  let  us  show  that  we  appreciate  it  by  devoting 
the  life  he  has  prolonged  to  his  service  and  glory.  After 
all  that  God  has  done  to  watch  over  and  protect  these 
frail  and  exposed  lives,  it  were  a  thankless  return  to 
devote  them  to  sin  and  the  world.  Days  there  have 
been  when  some  of  you  foresaw  the  approach  of  evil ; 
when  you  feared  that  your  earthly  career  was  coming 
to  a  close;  but  heavenly  mercy  interposed  for  your 
deliverance,  and  rescued  you  from  the  grave.  You 
will  not  forget  those  days,  nor  your  ow^n  undisclosed 
thoughts  and  expressed  purposes  in  regard  to  the  fu- 
ture, should  you  be  permitted  to  live.  And  have  you 
paid  the  vows  which  your  soul  made  in  the  time  of 
trouble?  Or  have  those  solemn  reflections  passed 
away,  to  be  renewed  and  revived  in  tenfold  bitter- 
ness, when  the  day  of  calamity  shall  come  on  afresh  ? 
God  spares  you,  but  it  is  only  for  a  little  while.  What 
you  do,  must  be  done  quickly,  for  there  is  no  work,  nor 
knowledge,  nor  device  in  the  grave  whither  you  are 
hastening.  God  can  lay  you  aside  whenever  he  is 
pleased  to  do  so.     You  may  not  be  satisfied  with  liv- 


258  THE   GOODNESS  OF   GOD 

ing,  and  you  cannot  be  reconciled  to  dying,  unless  you 
faithfully  employ  life  while  it  lasts.  You  will  find  it  a 
pleasure  to  live,  so  long  as  "  for  you  to  live  is  Christ ;" 
and  when  this  building  of  flesh  shall  begin  to  shake, 
you  will  find,  that  those  for  whom  it  is  Christ  to  live, 
to  die  is  gain. 

2.  In  the  second  and  last  place,  since  the  goodness 
of  God  is  so  manifest  in  prolonging  human  life,  how 
great  is  the  guilt,  and  how  fearful  must  he  the  misery, 
of  those  who  derive  no  benefit  from  it  when  thus  pro- 
longed? Notwithstanding  all  the  divine  goodness  in 
giving  them  existence  in  the  present  w^orld,  and  in 
continuing  the  existence  he  gave ;  in  furnishing  them 
so  many  rich  and  favorable  opportunities  to  make  that 
existence  a  blessing  to  others  and  themselves;  in  in- 
structing and  warning  them,  and  in  keeping  back  the 
sword  of  the  Destroyer,  year  after  year ;  still  they  have 
lived  in  vain,  and  worse  than  in  vain.  It  was  said  of 
Judas,  "  Better  for  that  man,  had  he  never  been  born  !'* 
And  it  may  be  said  with  truth  of  every  man  who  lives 
and  dies  in  his  sins.  Such  men  abuse  the  divine  for- 
bearance and  long-suffering,  to  their  souls'  undoing. 
*' Because  sentence  against  an  evil  work  is  not  exe- 
cuted speedily,  therefore  the  heart  of  the  sons  of  men 
is  fully  set  in  them  to  do  evil."  God  has  given  some 
of  you,  beloved  hearers,  great  and  long-continued  op- 
portunities for  repentance,  in  order  that  your  life  and 
day  of  grace  may  be  a  blessing.  But  are  there  none 
among  you,  whose  abuse  of  his  goodness  and  forbear- 
ance give  strong  indications,  that  these  blessings  may 
be  converted  into  a  curse  ?  If  you  die  in  sin,  as  you 
have  lived  in  sin,  how  may  you  hope  to  come  off  with 
a  lighter  doom  than  is  reserved  for  those  who,  '*  after 


IN  PROLONGING  HUMAN   LIFE.  259 

their  hardness  and  impenitent  heart,  treasure  up  unto 
themselves  wrath  against  the  day  of  wrath,  and  reve- 
lation of  the  righteous  judgment  of  God !"  There  is 
nothing  of  which  you  may  be  more  solemnly  assured, 
that  that  God  "  waits  that  he  may  be  gracious."  His 
tenderness  never  speaks  out  more  truly  than  when  he 
says,  "  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim !  how  shall 
I  deliver  thee,  Israel !  How  shall  I  make  thee  as  Ad- 
mah!  how  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboim!  Mine  heart 
is  turned  within  me,  my  repentings  are  kindled  to- 
gether !"  But  if  you  pervert  this  divine  clemency  to 
presumption,  and  abuse  the  goodness  which  thus  pro- 
longs your  day  of  grace  to  impenitence  and  sin ;  better 
had  it  been  for  you  not  to  have  lived  out  half  your 
days.  God  will  destroy  you,  but  not  until  the  measure 
of  your  iniquity  is  full.  Woe, — woe  betide  the  man  on 
whom  the  vials  of  his  wrath  will  be  poured  out,  because 
he  thus  hardens  himself  against  God,  and  bids  defiance 
to  the  fears  and  hopes  of  eternity !  And  '*  what  wilt 
thou  say  when  he  shall  punish  thee  ?"  The  universe 
will  have  visible  evidence  that  such  a  man  deserves 
the  woes  he  feels. 


SERMON  XXIV. 

TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

Psalm  li.  3.     For  I  acknowledge  my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is  ever 

before  me.     And 
Matthew  xxvii.  3.    Then  Judas  which  had  betrayed  him,  when  he 

saw  that  he  was  condemned,  repented  himself,  and  brought  again  the 

thirty  pieces  of  silver  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  saying,  I  have 

sinned  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood. 

I  HAVE  thrown  these  two  passages  together,  because, 
thus  considered,  they  furnish  a  clear  exemphfication, 
both  of  a  true  and  false  repentance.  When  Peter,  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  exhorted  the  multitude  of  the 
Jews  to  forsake  their  errors  and  sins,  and  turn  to  God, 
he  gave  them  this  summary  direction  :  "  Repent,  and  be 
baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ." 
When  our  Lord  himself  would  declare,  in  the  brief- 
est manner,  the  revealed  condition  of  eternal  life,  he 
told  the  people  who  heard  him,  "  Except  ye  repent,  ye 
shall  all  likewise  perish."  His  forerunner  also,  "  came 
preaching  the  baptism  of  repentance,  saying,  Repent 
ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  Li  the  Old 
Testament,  also,  we  find  the  same  comprehensive  in- 
junction ;  for  the  prophet  thus  exhorts  ancient  Israel : 
"  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  all  your  transgres- 
sions ;  so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your  ruin."  Thus,  when 
the  ministers  of  the  everlasting  Gospel,  under  either 
dispensation,  have   fulfilled   their   commission,    "they 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      ggl 

have  gone  forth  everywhere  preaching  that  men  should 
repent." 

A  duty  so  solemnly  and  frequently  enjoined,  deserves 
our  serious  attention,  and  we  are  interested  to  know  in 
what  it  consists.  It  is  implicitly  recognized  as  a  com- 
pend  of  the  Christian  graces,  while  the  joys  of  heaven, 
and  the  sorrows  of  hell,  are  suspended  upon  the  per- 
formance or  neglect  of  it. 

Yet  all  repentance  is  not  true  repentance.  An  apos- 
tle declares,  that  ''godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance 
not  to  be  repented  of;  but  the  sorrow  of  the  world 
worketh  death."  There  is,  therefore,  a  repentance  that 
needs  to  be  repented  of,  and  which  is  not  unto  salva- 
tion. Instances  of  both  these  we  may  expect  to  find 
in  our  acquaintance  with  men,  and  especially  in  Scrip- 
ture history.  Accordingly,  we  are  furnished  with 
specimens  of  both  in  the  word  of  God.  We  shall  oc- 
cupy ourselves,  in  this  discourse,  in  placing  two  of 
these  side  by  side,  and  as  we  proceed  with  the  com- 
parison, we  may  hope  to  discern  and  fix  in  our  minds 
some  characteristics  of  evangelical  repentance,  that 
shall  distinguish  it  from  all  counterfeit  and  spurious 
similitudes.  The  instances  selected  are  those  of  David 
and  Judas,  both  of  which  are  strongly  marked,  and  in 
our  exposition  of  which,  we  place  ourselves  under  the 
guidance  of  an  infallible  interpreter  of  the  actions,  and 
expositor  of  the  spirits  of  men.  We  propose  to  show 
wherein  their  repentance  was  alike,  and  wherein  it 
differed. 

I.  We  shall  show  wherein  the  repentance  of  David 
and  Judas  was  alike. 

It  appeared  alike,  and  was  alike  in  many  particulars. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  we  remark  that  both  David  and 


263      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

Judas  were  sorry  for  their  sin.  They  both  indulged 
sincere  grief  on  account  of  their  iniquity.  They  had 
deep  impressions  of  its  turpitude  and  heinousness  ;  they 
saw  its  evil  consequences  to  themselves  and  others,  and 
truly  regretted  what  they  had  done.  Though  the  sor- 
row of  the  one  was  godly  sorrow,  and  that  of  the  other 
the  sorrow  which  worketh  death ;  yet  they  were  both 
sorry.  In  view  of  their  base  conduct,  the  emotions  of 
both,  though  from  causes  radically  and  essentially  di- 
verse, were,  in  their  outward  expression,  alike.  No 
one  who  reads  David's  penitent  acknowledgment  of  his 
sin  in  the  51st  Psalm,  can  doubt  the  sincerity  or  depth 
of  his  regret ;  and  as  little  question  can  exist  in  the 
other  case,  since  the  inspired  historian  declares,  "  Then 
Judas,  which  betrayed  Christ,  when  he  saw  that  he  was 
condemned,  repented  himself."  Nor  is  this  mere  form 
of  expression  all.  His  convictions  of  his  sin,  and  his 
grief,  were  so  intense  and  overwhelming,  that  he  pre- 
ferred death  by  his  own  hand,  with  all  its  attendant 
horrors,  and  all  its  fearful  issues,  to  the  sorrow  and 
agony  which  consumed  him.  He  could  not  live  in 
such  distress  ;  and  if  this  be  not  evidence  of  the  reality 
and  depth  of  his  grief,  then  we  know  not  where  to  look 
in  any  case,  for  proof  of  this  frame  of  mind. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  both  David  and  Judas  con- 
fessed their  sin.  Hear  the  Psalmist :  "  I  acknowledge 
my  transgression,  and  my  sin  is  ever  before  me. 
Against  thee,  thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done  this 
evil  in  thy  sight ;  that  thou  mightest  be  justified  when 
thou  speakest,  and  clear  when  thou  judgest."  He  prays 
to  be  delivered  from  "  blood  guiltiness,"  and  professes 
to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  a  "  broken  and  contrite  heart." 
Equally  explicit  is  the  confession  of  Judas.     "  /  have 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      263 

sinned,  in  that  I  have  betrayed  the  innocent  blood." 
Many  a  sinner  is  so  thoughtless  and  unconcerned,  as 
rarely  to  admit  the  conviction  of  his  guilt ;  and  multi- 
tudes, who  are  convinced  of  it,  satisfy  themselves  with 
the  acknowledgment  of  their  offences  to  God  only. 
But  these  offenders  confessed  their  sins  to  men.  David 
did  to  Nathan,  and  to  God's  Israel ;  and  left  his  con- 
fession on  the  public  records  of  his  nation,  for  the 
benefit  of  the  church,  and  the  instruction  of  men  in 
every  age.  And  we  have  seen  how  public  and  open 
was  the  acknowledgment  of  Judas.  In  both  cases, 
there  was  a  frankness  of  confession  that  puts  those  who 
make  it  above  the  suspicion  of  artifice,  or  concealment. 
They  seek  for  no  extenuation  of  their  guilt.  They  hide 
no  circumstance  that  exhibits  its  aggravation.  All  is 
open  and  candid,  like  the  plain  dealing  of  men  w^ho  felt 
the  stings  of  conscience,  and  were  willing  to  be  con- 
founded before  God  and  man. 

3.  In  the  third  place,  both  David  and  Judas  endeav- 
ored to  7nake  some  recompense  for  the  wrong  they  had 
done.  After  the  shameful  fall  of  the  King  of  Israel, 
and  his  acknowledgment  to  Nathan  of  his  transgres- 
sion, he  renounced  his  guilty  course  of  conduct,  and 
repaired  the  injury  as  far  as  was  in  his  power.  He 
raised  the  deluded  partner  of  his  crime  to  the  highest 
rank  in  his  kingdom,  and  Solomon,  her  son,  became,  by 
the  express  appointment  of  the  king,  the  heir  of  his 
possessions  and  crown. 

Scarcely  less  explicit  is  the  proof  that  Judas  was  ac- 
tuated by  a  desire  to  make  some  recompense  for  the 
w^rong  of  which  he  had  been  the  guilty  perpetrator. 
When  he  saw  that  Christ  was  actually  condemned,  he 
was  seized  with  consternation,  and*  hastened  to  the 


264      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.  - 

chief  priests,  accusing  himself,  and  declaring  the  inno- 
cence of  the  man  he  had  delivered  into  their  hands. 
He  was  eager  to  exculpate  the  condemned  Saviour, 
though  in  doing  so  he  accused  himself  And  he  tested 
the  sincerity  of  his  renunciation,  by  bringing  the  price 
of  his  treachery,  and  casting  it  down  before  those  who 
had  corrupted  him.  Though  his  ruling  passion  was  the 
love  of  money,  another  affection  now  became  stronger 
and  predominant.  He  made  restitution  of  his  ill-gotten 
gain,  and  as  far  as  might  be,  labored  to  counteract  the 
tendency  of  his  sin. 

In  these  three  particulars,  there  was  a  similarity  be- 
tween the  repentance  of  David  and  Judas.  They  re- 
sembled each  other  externally,  and  in  a  degree,  also,  in 
their  spirit  and  temper.  The  conduct  of  both  was,  to 
a  certain  extent,  the  conduct  of  true  penitents  ;  and  but 
for  subsequent  events,  and  the  light  which  inspiration 
has  shed  upon  their  character  and  doom,  men  might 
have  inferred  that  there  was  no  real  difference  in  their 
repentance.  And  yet  we  know  that  the  repentance  of 
the  one  was  true,  and  the  other  false.     Let  us  then, 

II.  In  the  second  place,  attend  to  some  particulars 
in  which  their  repentance  differed. 

In  some  of  their  features,  they  were  certainly  alike. 
But  if  to  the  eye  of  man  there  was  a  resemblance,  God 
saw  a  difference.  One  he  blessed  with  a  sweet  sense 
of  his  pardoning  mercy ;  the  other  he  abandoned  to  the 
horrors  of  despair ;  and  when  the  measure  of  his  in- 
iquity was  full,  consigned  him  "  to  his  own  place." 
There  was  a  point  where  they  began  to  diverge,  and 
because  they  separated  here,  the  barrier  which  divides 
the  friends  of  God  from  his  enemies,  is  placed  between 


^ 


TRUE  AND   FALSE   REPENTANCE.  265 

them  forever.  In  noticing  some  of  the  points  in  which 
they  differed,  we  may  remark, 

1.  In  the  first  place,  the  repentance  of  these  two 
transgressors  differed  in  the  motives  from  which  it  orig- 
inated. "  Man  looketh  on  the  outward  appearance, 
but  the  Lord  looketh  on  the  heart."  The  difference  in 
their  repentance  lies  in  the  heart  and  spirit,  which  gave 
rise  to  it.  David's  arose  from  his  love  and  fear  of  God. 
Repentance  that  flows  not  from  the  love  of  God,  is  al- 
ways spurious ;  and  though  while  a  man  is  destitute  of 
love  to  God,  he  may  be  sorry  that  he  has  provoked  his 
displeasure,  he  cannot  be  at  heart  grieved  that  he  has 
disobeyed  and  dishonored  a  Being  whom  he  hates. 
True  repentance  consists  in  that  self-loathing  and  self- 
abasement  for  sin,  which  arises  from  an  affectionate 
regard  to  the  excellence  and  goodness  of  the  divine  cha- 
racter. "  I  have  heard  of  thee,  says  Job,  by  the  hear- 
ing of  the  ear,  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee ;"  where- 
fore I  abhor  myself,  and  repent  in  dust  and  ashes." 

David's  heart  was  tender,  as  well  as  filled  with  an- 
guish. He  had  lost  his  enmity  and  opposition  to  God, 
and  w^as  deeply  affected  and  humbled,  because  he  had 
dishonored  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  "Against  thee, 
thee  only,  have  I  sinned,  and  done  this  evil  in  thy 
sight  I"  He  was  not  insensible  to  the  injury  he  had 
done  to  others  ;  but  in  his  view,  the  chief  aggravation 
of  his  offence  was,  that  it  was  committed  against  God. 
In  this  aspect  of  it,  every  other  feature  was  well-nigh 
forgotten.  He  could  not  help  repenting,  with  such 
views  and  feelings  as  he  had  toward  God.  It  was  his 
affectionate  regard  for  God  that  led  him  to  hate  his 
sins,  and  to  say,  "  Because  I  have  done  this  evil  in  thy 
sight,  thou  mayest  be  justified  when  thou  speakest,  and 

12 


266      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

clear  when  thou  judgest."  There  is  not  a  single  selfish 
and  mercenary  motive  suggested  throughout  the  whole 
of  the  Psalm  which  records  his  humble  confession. 
Does  he  speak  of  the  divine  judgments ;  he  says  he  de- 
serves them.  Does  he  speak  of  Zion,  whose  interests 
he  had  put  in  jeopardy,  his  request  is,  that  God  "  would 
do  good  to  Zion,  and  build  the  walls  of  Jerusalem." 
Does  he  ask  to  be  restored  to  the  joys  of  God's  salva- 
tion ;  it  is  that  he  may  "  teach  transgressors  his  ways, 
and  that  sinners  may  be  converted  unto  him."  Does 
he  beg  that  God  would  remove  his  frown,  and  once 
more  open  his  lips ;  it  is  that  "  his  mouth  may  show 
forth  his  praise."  This  is  a  repentance  altogether 
above  the  horrors  of  a  guilty  conscience,  and  those 
inward  restraints,  and  checks,  and  agitations,  which 
force  a  man  to  confess  his  sins,  and  simply  convince 
and  cover  him  with  shame. 

But  not  one  thought  of  all  this  is  to  be  found  in  the 
repentance  of  Judas.  It  sprung  from  no  such  motives. 
However  bitterly  he  grieved,  it  was  wholly  on  his  own 
account.  He  was  agitated  ;  he  trembled ;  he  cast  about 
him  for  some  relief ;  conscience  made  him  honest ;  but 
he  had  not  one  truly  humble  emotion.  In  the  very  act 
of  confessing  his  sin,  and  seeking  some  relief  from  the 
terrible  reproaches  of  his  own  mind,  he  endeavored,  by 
a  deed  of  desperation,  to  break  away  from  the  govern- 
ment of  the  Most  High.  The  motives  of  his  repent- 
ance were  all  corrupt. 

2.  In  the  second  place,  the  repentance  of  David  was 
accompanied  with  saving  faith ;  while  that  of  Judas 
was  an  unbelieving  repentance.  The  offending  Psalm- 
ist knew  that  a  Saviour  had  been  promised  for  lost 
men;  and   that  the  guilty,  however  odious  and  ill- 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      267 

deserving,  might  find  pardon  and  peace  through  him. 
Though  but  obscurely  revealed,  yet  was  this  way  of 
salvation  by  the  Messiah  to  come,  indicated  by  the 
worship  and  ceremonial  observances  of  the  Jewish  re- 
ligion. None  under  the  ancient  economy  had  a  more 
clear  and  lively  view  of  the  Redeemei''s  character  and 
worth  than  David;  and  none  more  certainly  trusted 
in  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world, 
and  appropriated  by  faith  the  benefits  of  that  blood 
that  was  expiatory  and  not  ceremonial,  and  that  was 
designed  to  "take  away  sin."  After  confessing  and 
bewailing  his  transgression,  he  says,  "  Purge  me  with 
hysop,  and  I  shall  be  clean ;  wash  me,  and  I  shall  be 
whiter  than  snow."  God  required  the  Hebrews,  when 
they  came  out  of  Egypt,  to  take  a  bunch  of  hysop,  to 
dip  it  in  the  blood  of  the  paschal  lamb,  and  with  it  to 
sprinkle  the  lintel  and  the  two  side -posts  of  their  doors- 
It  was  in  allusion  to  this  rite,  and  other  emblematical 
uses  of  the  hysop  in  sacrifices,  that  this  penitent  sought 
for  pardon  in  the  words  we  have  just  recited;  and, 
while  uttering  them,  looked  away  from  the  sign  to  the 
thing  signified,  and  exercised  saving  faith  in  him  whom 
these  types  and  shadows  prefigured.  That  such  were 
his  views  is  farther  manifest,  when  he  says,  "  For  thou 
desirest  not  sacrifice,  else  would  I  give  it ;  thou  de- 
lightest  not  in  burnt  offering."  He  knew  there  was  but 
one  sacrifice  that  could  meet  the  claims  of  offended 
justice.  The  faith  of  his  broken  and  contrite  heart, 
rested  on  the  great  sacrifice  of  God's  appointment.  His 
contrition  was  associated  with  a  saving  faith  in  him 
who  is  David's  Lord  and  Son.  He  had  acknowledged 
the  justice  of  the  law ;  and  with  that  acknowledgment, 
confided  in  the  grace  of  the  Gospel.     He  felt  his  need 


269      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

of  the  Saviour,  because  he  felt  that  he  was  lost  and 
justly  condemned.  His  heart  was  prepared  to  depend 
on  Christ  alone  for  pardon  and  acceptance  in  the  sight 
of  God ;  and  his  conduct  was  such  as  to  show  that  the 
repentance  that  is  unto  life,  is  the  repentance  of  a  be- 
lieving mind. 

No  such  faith  accompanied  the  repentance  of  Judas. 
He  had  better  opportunities  than  were  enjoyed  by 
David,  of  a  perfect  acquaintance  with  the  character 
and  work  of  Christ.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Apos- 
tolic family,  and  in  frequent  attendance  upon  the  person 
of  Christ  in  his  progress  through  Judea.  He  heard  him 
preach,  and  saw  his  miracles.  He  was  with  him  at  the 
last  Passover,  and  enjoyed  the  best  opportunity  of  test- 
ing his  claims,  and  knowing  the  value  of  his  redemp- 
tion. He  had  seen  multitudes  believe  in  him,  and 
rejoice  to  the  saving  of  their  souls.  And  now,  when 
his  sins  were  set  in  order  before  him,  and  he  was  bowed 
down  under  the  burden,  and  knew  that  the  blood  of 
Christ  cleanses  from  all  sin ;  and  was  under  stronger 
inducements  than  ever  to  cast  himself,  as  his  poor, 
guilty,  wretched  betrayer,  at  his  feet,  and  trust  in  him 
who  could  pray  even  for  his  murderers ;  his  suspicious 
heart,  the  more  suspicious  and  distrustful  because  so 
guilty,  turned  away  from  him  in  cold  and  sullen  un- 
belief Though  trembling  on  the  threshold  of  eternity, 
he  could  not  trust  and  live.  His  repentance  was  the 
repentance  of  a  mind  that  had  no  confidence  in  this 
friend  of  miserable  sinners.  Had  there  been  super- 
added to  his  deep  convictions  and  anguish,  the  least 
degree  of  believing  confidence  in  that  atoning  sacrifice 
about  to  be  offered  up,  he  had  never  gone  into  eternity 
with  hands  stained  with  the  Redeemer's  blood  and  his 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      269 

own.  Had  he  but  the  faith  to  cry  with  the  dying  thief 
on  the  cross,  "  Lord,  remember  me,"  notwithstanding  all 
I  have  done,  "  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy 
kingdom,"  it  never  would  have  been  said  of  him,  "  It 
were  better  for  that  man  if  he  had  never  been  born." 

3.  In  the  third  place,  an  essential  element  in  the 
repentance  of  David  w^as  /io/)e ;  while  the  repentance 
of  Judas  was  the  repentance  of  despair.  Hope  is  a 
sweet  exercise  of  Christian  piety,  and  delightfully  hon- 
orable to  God  and  the  riches  of  his  grace,  through 
his  Son.  All  the  exercises  of  David  in  this  Psalm, 
are  full  of  hope.  He  could  not  despair  of  mercy 
from  God,  so  excellent  is  his  loving  kindness,  and  so 
great  his  mercy  toward  them  that  fear  him.  Love, 
penitence,  faith,  and  hope,  are  graces  that  belong  to 
one  and  the  same  family,  and  fruits  of  the  Spirit  that 
grow  on  the  same  parent  stock.  Where  one  is  found, 
the  other  is  not  far  distant ;  and  if  hope  does  not  always 
bloom  and  flourish  amid  the  tears  of  repentance,  it  is 
watered  by  them,  and  its  bud  of  promise  cherished  by 
every  contrite  sigh.  Where  faith  looks  to  God's  ador- 
able Son,  hope  is  sure  to  rest  on  him,  if  not  at  once, 
ultimately,  and  with  triumph.  Hence,  in  this  very 
Psalm  of  deepest  penitence,  we  read  of  looked  for  ''joy 
and  gladness" — of  "  lips  that  show  forth  God's  praise" 
— and  of  "  sacrifices  of  righteousness,  with  which  God 
is  well  pleased."  Though  the  hope  of  pardon  is  not  a 
bribe  to  godly  sorrow,  it  is  sooner,  or  later,  the  fruit  of 
it.  No  man  can  long  be  the  subject  of  the  one,  with- 
out being  the  subject  of  the  other.  There  is  that  heal- 
ing influence  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  which,  when  it 
binds  up  the  broken  heart,  bids  the  mourner  rejoice. 
Welcome  as  is  the  light  of  the  morning  after  a  night 


270      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

of  apprehension  and  distress, — welcome  as  a  secure 
haven  to  the  worn-out  and  tempest-driven  mariner, — 
welcome  as  a  full  pardon  sent  from  the  throne  of  royal 
mercy  to  cheer  the  dungeon  of  the  condemned  crimi- 
nal looking  forward  to  the  hour  of  his  execution, — so 
welcome  are  the  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  breast  that  is 
burdened  with  sin,  and  whose  gushing  sorrows  flow  at 
the  cross.  The  mercy  of  God,  in  Christ,  is  never  esti- 
mated but  by  the  true  penitent.  Nor  is  there  any  true 
penitent  that  will  not  embrace  the  divine  mercy,  and 
give  God  the  praise.  The  sorrow  that  *'  worketh  re- 
pentance to  salvation,^'  is  a  compound  of  fear  and 
hope,  of  agitation  and  tranquillity,  of  distress  and 
mourning  for  sin,  and  confidence  in  the  promise  of 
peace.  From  darkness  it  emerges  into  light;  from 
groaning  under  bondage,  it  rejoices  in  the  liberty  of 
the  sons  of  God ;  from  lamentations  and  mourning,  it 
-"  sings  aloud  of  God's  righteousness." 

But  the  repentance  of  Judas  was  of  another  sort.  It 
was  the  dreadful,  fiend-like  repentance,  of  despair.  It 
was  the  sorrow  which  worketh  death — the  death  of  the 
body  and  the  death  of  the  soul.  It  was  guilt  unrelieved 
by  hope,  and  it  was  repentance  that  impelled  him  to 
perdition.  It  was  not  the  melancholy  of  a  disordered 
mind — it  was  the  heavy,  fixed,  and  obdurate  gloom  of 
a  well-balanced  and  artful  mind,  and  yet  a  mind  at  war 
with  God  and  man — with  time  and  eternity !  It  cozdd 
not  be  comforted,  even  by  a  Saviour's  love ;  it  could 
not  be  cheered,  even  by  the  brightness  of  God's  coun- 
tenance ;  it  could  not  be  obviated  by  a  salvation  adapted 
to  its  deepest  woes.  That  salvation  had  enlightened 
the  judgment,  and  convinced  the  conscience,  even  of 
this  accursed  traitor  to  his  Lord  ;  but  it  could  not  carry 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      27I 

his  heart,  nor  subdue  it  into  one  tender  emotion,  nor 
turn  it  away  from  its  sullen  despair. 

We  have  thus  seen  wherein  the  repentance  of  David 
and  Judas  were  alike,  and  wherein  they  were  not  alike. 
A  few  brief  remarks  will  now  close  our  discourse. 

1.  We  learn  from  our  subject,  that  the  best  means  of 
grace  and  salvation  may  fail  of  fitting  men  for  heaven, 
David  enjoyed  the  best  means  of  grace  and  salvation 
which  were  furnished  to  the  age  in  which  he  lived ; 
and  they  exerted  their  proper  effect  upon  his  mind  and 
character,  and  fitted  him  for  God's  right  hand.  But 
Judas  enjoyed  still  better  means,  and  richer  instruc- 
tions, while  his  own  sinful  heart  grew  more  sinful  and 
obdurate  under  them;  and  thus  abused  and  perverted, 
they  only  fitted  him  for  perdition.  The  tendency  of 
the  instructions  he  heard,  the  miracles  he  saw,  and  the 
perfect  example  of  which  he  was  the  witness  while  in 
the  family  of  Christ,  was  to  make  him  a  holy  man,  as 
they  did  the  other  eleven  disciples ;  but  the  constant 
tendency  of  his  own  deceitful  and  corrupt  mind,  under 
this  powerful  influence,  was  to  w^ax  worse  and  w^orse. 
In  the  earlier  part  of  his  career,  and  till  near  the  close 
of  it,  he  maintained  a  fair  external  character,  lived 
apparently  like  a  sincere  follower  of  Christ,  and  had 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow-disciples.  But  mammon 
w^as  his  god ;  and  in  the  process  of  time,  his  selfish  and 
corrupt  heart  showed  itself,  and  broke  over  all  the  re- 
straints and  religious  instructions  with  which  he  was 
favored.  The  longer  he  heard  Christ  preach,  and  saw 
his  works,  the  more  his  enmity  rose  against  him ;  till  at 
length  "  his  iniquity  found  him  out,"  and  his  hatred  to 
Jesus  rose  to  such  a  height,  that  he  betrayed  him  with 
a  kiss,  delivered  him  over  to  his  crucifiers,  and  thus 


272       TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

showed  that  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  highest  privileges, 
he  became  a  ''  vessel  of  wrath  fitted  to  destruction." 
And  thus  it  often  proves  with  the  best  means  of  grace. 
While  they  have  a  good  effect  upon  some,  they  only 
serve  to  increase  the  wickedness  of  others.  They  have 
fitted  multitudes  for  heaven ;  but  they  have  also  fitted 
multitudes  for  hell.  They  have  this  effect  in  every 
age,  and  in  every  place.  "  We  are  unto  God,"  saith 
an  apostle,  "  a  sweet  savor  of  Christ,  in  them  that  are 
saved,  and  in  them  that  perish  ;  to  the  one  we  are 
the  savor  of  death  unto  death,  and  to  the  other  the 
savor  of  life  unto  life." 

2.  Our  subject  presents  us  an  affecting  view  of  the 
sovereignty  of  God  in  the  discriminations  of  his  grace. 
In  the  few  traits  of  character  to  which  our  thoughts 
have  been  directed,  we  see  two  professors  of  religion 
making  the  same  avowal  of  their  attachment  to  God 
and  his  cause.  The  one  was  a  sincere  friend  of  God,  and 
the  other  a  base  and  detestable  hypocrite,  and  concealing 
a  foul  and  malignant  heart  under  the  cloak  of  a  fair 
profession.  We  see  them  both  guilty  of  foul  and  abom- 
inable crimes;  but  we  see  one  recovered,  and  re- 
stored, and  penitent,  and  the  other  impenitent,  and  a 
final  apostate.  We  see  one  subdued  and  weeping  at 
the  cross,  and  comforted  by  returning  holiness,  peace, 
and  joy ;  and  the  other  smitten  with  remorse  and 
horror,  for  which  the  grave  was  the  only  relief. 
We  see  one  influenced  to  lay  hold  of  eternal  life,  and 
the  other  left  to  his  own  unrestricted  course,  and  ful- 
filling the  prediction  that  was  made  concerning  him 
centuries  before  he  was  born.  We  see  one  the  child 
of  mercy,  the  other  what  the  Saviour  himself  desig- 
nated him,  "  the  son  of  perdition." 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      273 

And  in  all  this  do  we  not  see  the  sovereignty  of  the 
divine  counsels,  and  the  discriminations  of  that  grace 
that  maketh  one  to  differ  from  another?  Why  was 
David  subdued  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  Judas  left  to 
impenitence  and  wrath  ?  We  see  these  discriminations 
everywhere ;  and  as  there  can  be  no  valid  objection 
against  them  in  the  case  of  David  and  Judas,  so  there 
can  be  no  valid  objection  against  them  in  any  case. 
Men  may  assail  the  sovereignty  of  God  in  thus  making 
one  to  differ  from  another  ;  but  no  valid  objection  ever 
has,  or  ever  can  be  brought  against  it.  It  is  consistent 
with  the  benevolence  of  God,  and  the  freedom  and  ac- 
countableness  of  man ;  it  is  consistent  with  itself,  and 
with  every  other  doctrine  of  the  Bible  ;  and  it  is  true. 
Judas  never  thought  of  urging  it  as  any  excuse  for  his 
crime,  or  for  his  impenitence.  God  did  him  no  injus- 
tice, and  never  will  do  him  any.  He  was  gracious  to 
David  ;  but  not  unjust  to  Judas.  He  may  be  gracious 
to  some,  and  he  may  leave  others  to  their  own  chosen 
way.  The  former  may  not  complain,  because  they  are 
treated  better  than  they  deserve ;  and  the  latter  ought 
not  to  complain,  because  they  are  treated  no  worse 
than  they  deserve.  Let  us  adore  the  goodness  and 
severity  of  God  ;  toward  the  vessels  of  wrath  severity, 
toward  the  vessels  of  mercy  goodness.  Let  us  feel 
as  the  Saviour  felt  when  he  said,  "I  thank  thee.  Father, 
Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hid  these 
things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  revealed  them 
unto  babes  !" 

3.  We  are  taught  by  our  subject,  that  neither  the 
outward  expression,  nor  the  inward  emotion  of  sorrow 
constitutes  evangelical  repentance.  Who  can  doubt  the 
depths  of  Judas's  sorrow  ?     If  ever  there  was  a  heart 

12* 


274      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

wrung  with  anguish,  it  was  his.  His  grief  was  literally 
intolerable ;  so  that  life  itself  became  a  burden.  And 
as  to  its  outward  expressions,  they  were  full.  But  after 
all,  it  was  the  sorrow  of  the  world  that  worketh  death, 
and  itself  needed  to  be  repented  of  There  was  in  it 
nothing  of  the  nature  of  piety,  and  nothing  that  God 
could  approve.  Such  sorrow  as  his  often  abounds. 
It  often  abounds  when  men  are  deeply  convinced  of 
their  sins,  and  danger.  Penetrated  with  horror  at  the 
thought  of  what  they  have  done,  ready  to  make  any  con- 
fession, and  almost  any  reparation,  yet  they  are  not 
willing  to  accept  of  forgiveness  on  the  terms  of  the 
Gospel.  Such  sorrow  is  often  seen  on  the  bed  of 
death  ;  it  is  very  apt  to  be  one  of  the  characteristics 
of  death-bed  repentance,  when  the  thoughts  are  thrown 
back  upon  a  misspent  life,  and  forward  upon  an  undone 
eternity,  and  the  soul  trembles  at  meeting  God  in  judg- 
ment. And  when  that  dread  apprehension  becomes  a 
reality,  and  the  spirit  actually  stands  before  God  its 
Maker,  to  be  judged  according  to  the  deeds  done  in 
the  body,  no  doubt  its  agony  will  be  excessive ;  and  the 
miserable  transgressor  will  cry  to  the  rocks  and  the 
mountains  to  fall  upon  him,  and  hide  him  from  the  face 
of  him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath 
of  the  Lamb.  And  what  will  be  the  outward  expres- 
sion, and  the  inward  emotions  of  its  sorrow,  when  at 
last,  sinking  beneath  that  wrath  from  which  falling 
mountains  cannot  shield  him,  all  its  waves  and  billows 
go  over  him  ?  My  friends,  if  you  have  had,  and  have 
now,  no  other  than  such  a  sorrow,  it  is  time  to  take  the 
alarm.  Without  repenting  of  such  repentance,  it  will 
one  day  be  said  of  you,  as  it  is  of  Judas,  "  It  had  been 
good  for  them  if  they  had  never  been  born."     I  remark, 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      275 

4.  If  many  who  are  convinced  of  sin  refuse  the  great 
salvation,  how  vain  to  wait  for  deeper  convictions  in 
order  to  become  Christians.  Multitudes  believe  that 
all  that  is  wanting  to  make  them  willing  to  fall  in  with 
the  method  of  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ,  is  to  feel  the 
burden  of  sin,  and  their  desert  of  punishment,  more 
deeply  than  they  have  ever  felt  them.  If  they  could 
feel  as  convinced  sinners  feel,  or  as  a  dying  man  feels, 
they  do  not  doubt  they  should  come  Inimbled  at  the 
footstool  of  mercy,  and  receive  Jesus  Christ  as  he  is 
offered  in  the  Gospel.  But  such  persons  are  strangely 
ignorant  of  themselves — their  hearts  deceive  them.  It 
is  not  a  sense  of  sin  and  misery  alone  that  leads  men 
to  Christ ;  they  are  drawn  by  cords  of  love.  Such 
persons  would  not  love  Christ  any  more  than  they  now 
love  him,  if  they  saw  themselves  this  moment  suspended 
over  the  bottomless  pit.  Look  at  Judas.  Did  a  sense 
of  sin  make  him  a  Christian  ?  Did  fear,  and  terror, 
and  agony  that  could  not  be  endured,  make  him  a  Chris- 
tian ?  Ah  no !  There  is  something  harder,  something 
deeper,  in  the  heart  of  man,  than  to  be  thus  subdued. 
Not  a  man  in  this  little  assembly  but  is  convinced 
enough  of  his  lost  estate  to  make  the  Saviour  welcome, 
if  his  heart  were  touched  with  love  to  God.  This  post- 
ponement of  present  duty  for  greater  convictions,  and 
more  fearful  terrors,  is  misleading  you.  Come  they 
may ;  and  they  may  find  you  imperturbable  except  to 
fear, — still  dead  to  every  grateful  and  tender  affection, 
— and  wrapt  in  gloom.  They  may  find  you  like  Judas. 
You  cannot  hope  in  God's  mercy  simply  by  desiring  to 
do  it,  and  because  driven  to  it  by  agony.  Take  your 
time  for  it  noio,  my  friends.  Take  God's  time  for  it 
now ;  for  though  the  day  of  anguish  will  come  certainly ; 


276      TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE. 

the  day,  the  precious,  the  expected  day  of  nope,  may 
never  come,  if  the  present  hour  is  lost.     I  add, 

5.  From  our  subject,  let  us  learn  liow  hopeless  is  the 
condition  of  those  who  are  stupid  in  sin.  If  many  who 
are  convinced  of  sin,  confess  it,  and  in  some  sort  re- 
pent, fall  short  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  what  shall  be 
said  of  those  who  have  not  even  this  miserable  sorrow  ? 
They  have  no  susceptibility  of  conscience,  and  they 
would  think  it  a  reproach  to  shed  tears  because  they 
are  sinners.  They  shut  out  every  serious  thought. 
They  seem  given  over  to  blindness  and  hardness  of 
heart.  O  this  state  of  mind  puts  a  man  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God!  If  the  awakened  may  not  find  a 
Saviour,  and  the  anxious,  and  those  who  confess  their 
guilt,  may  find  a  place  in  hell  with  Judas  ;  where  will 
your  place  be,  who  sleep  on,  and  are  never  anxious,  and 
think  no  more  of  God  and  eternity,  and  of  Christ  and 
his  salvation,  than  though  they  were  fables  ? 

My  dear  friends,  is  not  this  spiritual  insensibility 
characteristic  of  some  of  you  ?  O  into  what  a  fearful 
slumber  have  you  fallen !  Whence  is  it,  that  the  very 
torpor  of  death  has  thus  benumbed  you  ?  Whence 
is  it  that  you  are  not  to  be  aroused,  either  by  the 
good  word  of  God,  or  the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  ? 
I  have  no  wish,  God  knoweth,  to  see  any  of  you  the 
victims  of  a  soul-destroying  delusion,  and  hear  any  of 
you  profess  repentance  while  it  is  hid  from  your  eyes. 
But  I  would  see  this  apathy  disturbed.  I  would  fain 
see  those  indications  of  reviving  sensibility,  which 
shall  be  the  precursors  of  a  true  repentance, — the 
precursors  of  faith  and  hope,  and  not  the  forerunners 
of  despair. 

Despair  ! — why  need  we  speak  of  despair  ?     Here  in 


TRUE  AND  FALSE  REPENTANCE.      277 

a  world  so  full  of  the  Saviours  love — here  under  the 
Bethel  Flag — here  at  the  cross — here  in  the  great  ocean 
where  everything  assures  us  there  is  no  sin  too  great  to 
be  forgiven  ?  I  will  not  speak  of  it  any  more.  I  will 
not  think  of  it.  No  sinner  is  too  far  gone  in  iniquity 
to  be  reclaimed,  and  owned  as  the  child  of  God.  Come 
then,  my  friends,  to  David's  God.  Come  to  the  Son 
of  David,  whose  hysop  branch  is  fresh-dipped  in  the 
blood  of  the  Great  Atonement.  Say,  with  a  deep  and 
true  repentance,  "  Have  mercy  upon  me,  O  God,  ac- 
cording to  thy  loving  kindness ;  according  unto  the 
multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my  trans- 
gressions. Purge  me  with  hysop,  and  I  shall  be  clean ; 
wash  me,  and  I  shall  be  whiter  than  snow.  Make  me 
to  hear  joy  and  gladness,  that  the  bones  which  thou 
hast  broken  may  rejoice." 


SERMON  XXY. 

THE  EXCUSES  OF  MEN  THEIR  CONDEMNATION. 
Luke  xiv.  18.     And  they  all,  with  one  consent,  began  to  make  excuse. 

This  passage  is  from  that  part  of  the  evangelical 
history,  which  has  generally  been  called  the  Gospel 
Supper.  It  was  uttered  by  the  Saviour,  on  the  occa- 
sion of  his  going  into  the  house  of  one  of  the  chief 
Pharisees,  to  eat  bread  on  the  Sabbath  day.  "  Then 
said  he,  a  certain  man  made  a  great  supper,  and  bade 
many ;  and  sent  his  servants  at  supper  time  to  say  to 
them  that  were  bidden,  Come,  for  all  things  are  now 
ready.  And  they  all  with  one  consent,  began  to  make 
excuse.^'' 

This  is  an  affecting  exhibition,  on  the  one  hand,  of 
God's  great  love  and  mercy ;  and  on  the  other,  of  man's 
great  ingratitude  and  sin.  God,  on  his  part,  has  made 
a  grant  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  as  an  all-sufficient 
Saviour,  to  this  lost  and  perishing  world.  To  the 
guilty  and  condemned,  he  proclaims  pardon ;  to  the 
rebellious  and  contending,  peace,  reconciliation,  and 
hope ;  to  the  sorrowful,  glad-tidings  of  great  joy ;  to 
the  poor,  imperishable  riches ;  to  the  hungry,  a  feast 
of  fat  things ;  to  the  dying,  life  and  immortality  in  the 
heavens.  He  has  not  merely  revealed  a  general  knowl- 
edge of  Jesus  Christ,  but  has  directly  and  solemnly 
made  the  unembarrassed  offer  of  him  to  men,  and  that 


THE  EXCUSES  OF  MEN,  ETC.  379 

they  may  be  saved  by  faith  in  his  great  sacrifice.  The 
offer  and  the  gift  are  equally  free;  independent  in 
every  possible  manner  of  the  worthiness  of  men,  and 
recognizing  them  only  as  sinners.  They  are  pro- 
claimed indiscriminately  to  all  the  hearers  of  the  Gos- 
pel, and  to  every  one  of  them  in  particular.  No  sin, 
however  enormous  and  aggravated,  places  any  sinner 
beyond  the  reach  of  this  offered  salvation.  Nay,  more, 
God  has  made  it  the  duty  of  every  one  who  hears  the 
Gospel  to  accept  it  that  he  may  be  saved ;  and  he  can- 
not reject  it  but  at  his  peril.  And  in  all  this,  we  can- 
not fail  to  see  infinite  love  and  mercy.  Men  reject 
this  salvation,  and  make  light  of  it ;  and  as  though  this 
were  not  enough,  all  begin  to  make  excuse  for  their 
conduct.  And  in  this  we  see  man's  great  ingratitude 
and  sin. 

The  object  of  the  present  discourse,  therefore,  is  to 
show, 

That  men  are  naturally  disposed  to  excuse  their  con- 
duct in  rejecting  the  Gospel  of  Christ ; 

That  there  is  no  foundation  for  their  excuses ; 

That  the  motives  which  induce  them  thus  to  excuse 
their  conduct,  only  condemn  them ;  and  that 

There  is  great  danger  in  making  such  excuses. 

I.  I  am  to  show  that  men  are  naturally  disposed  to 
excuse  their  conduct  in  rejecting  the  Gospel  of  Christ. 

The  language  of  the  parable  is  here  worthy  of  a  pass- 
ing remark.  No  sooner  than  the  invitation  was  given, 
than  "  all  began  to  make  excuse."  This  is  the  first  and 
most  natural  reception  the  Gospel  meets  with.  Men 
do  not  seem  to  themselves  deliberately  to  have  made 
up  their  minds  to  reject  it ;  but  postpone  their  decision 
by  offering  some  plausible  excuse. 


280  THE    EXCUSES   OP  MEN 

It  is  among  the  painful  evidences  of  man's  apostasy, 
and  one  of  the  strongest  proofs  that  his  understanding 
is  darkened,  his  conscience  faithless,  and  his  heart  de- 
praved, that  he  can  ever  consent  to  excuse  himself  for 
rejecting  the  dear-bought  and  freely-offered  mercy  of 
God  in  the  Gospel  of  his  Son.  It  would  seem  to  be- 
long to  the  nature  of  sin  always  thus  to  excuse  itself. 
It  is  a  self-exalting,  self-justifying,  and  not  a  self-re- 
proaching and  self-condemning  spirit.  Men  naturally 
shut  their  eyes  upon  the  deformity  of  their  own  con- 
duct, and  are  slow  to  see  it  as  it  is.  They  have  in- 
herited a  self-excusing  spirit,  and  cover  their  sin,  like 
Adam;  and  under  whatever  circumstances  they  per- 
sist in  rejecting  the  divine  mercy,  are  sure  to  invent 
some  apology  for  their  impenitence.  When  they  are 
reproved  and  rebuked  for  their  reluctance  to  fall  in 
with  the  offers  of  salvation,  instead  of  confessing  their 
fault,  as  their  duty,  their  honor,  their  safety  and  their 
happiness  bind  them  to  do,  and  as  they  are  called  and 
bound  to  do  by  the  most  solemn  considerations  ;  they 
resort  to  a  thousand  unworthy  subterfuges.  Some- 
times they  find  an  apology  in  their  age  ;  sometimes  in 
their  peculiar  circumstances ;  sometimes  in  their  busi- 
ness ;  sometimes  in  their  domestic  or  public  relations ; 
sometimes  in  their  own  natural  dispositions  and  tem- 
peraments ;  and  sometimes  in  the  temptations  by  which 
they  are  surrounded.  Sometimes  they  find  it  in  the 
character  of  God ;  in  the  unbending  claims  of  his  law ; 
in  his  unchanging  and  everlasting  purposes ;  and  in 
their  dependence  on  his  Spirit.  Sometimes  they  find 
it  in  the  conduct  of  the  professors  of  religion,  or  its 
ministers ;  sometimes  in  the  truth  of  God,  and  some- 
times in  error ;  but  find  it  they  will,  and  are  ever  ready 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  281 

to  open  their  lips  in  palliating  their  indifFerence,  neg- 
lect, and  rejection  of  the  Gospel.  From  the  hour  in 
which  the  Tempter  infused  the  first  taint  of  sin  into  the 
bosom  of  man,  breathing  his  deadly  poison  in  the  lan- 
guage of  apology  for  his  proposed  crime,  the  poison  has 
spread,  and  contaminated  the  race.  Old  and  young 
have  imbibed  it.  It  is  found  even  in  good  men,  just 
in  the  measure  in  which  their  goodness  is  imperfect. 
But  nowhere  is  it  found  more  certainly  than  in  men 
who  are  strangers  to  the  great  salvation,  and  who,  like 
those  in  the  parable,  seem  pleased  and  gratified  that 
they  have  found  some  apparently  solid  excuse  for  de- 
clining the  invitations  of  redeeming  mercy.     But 

II.  There  is  no  foundation  for  their  excuses. 

I  am  not  going  into  any  labored  argument  to  prove 
this ;  because  a  true  and  solid  excuse  there  cannot  be. 
We  may  be  always  sure,  that  when  men  excuse  them- 
selves for  neglecting  to  do  what  God  requires,  there  is 
some  fallacy  in  their  excuses,  whether  we  can  discover 
it  or  not.  There  is  a  delusion  in  sin ;  and  the  heart  of 
man  is  "  deceitful  above  all  things,  as  well  as  desperately 
wicked."  The  spirit  of  excuses  comes  first  from  the 
love  of  sinning;  then,  from  a  wilfully  blinded  con- 
science ;  and  then,  from  perverting  and  resisting  the 
instructions  of  God's  truth.  Truth  always  exposes  sin  ; 
it  condemns  sin ;  and  throws  off  the  veil  by  which  men 
attempt  to  conceal,  or  excuse  it. 

It  is  no  difficult  matter  to  refute  all  the  excuses  which 
the  impenitent  urge  in  defence  of  their  rejecting  the 
Gospel ;  and  to  follow  out,  and  show  the  absurdity  of 
every  form,  and  turn,  and  change  of  the  sophistical  and 
false  reasoning  by  which  they  excuse  themselves  for 
rejecting  it.     It  may,  perhaps,  be  well  sometimes  to  do 


282  THE   EXCUSES   OF  MEN 

this ;  but  after  all,  it  may  be  questioned  whether  much 
is  gained  by  thus  reasoning  with  them.  The  strong  hold 
which  the  Gospel  has  over  every  man  that  rejects  it, 
will  be  found  to  be  his  own  conscience.  The  strength 
of  the  divine  government  over  wicked  men,  lies  in  their 
own  consciences.  The  great  advantage  which  the  min- 
isters of  the  Gospel  have,  in  enforcing  its  claims  upon 
those  who  reject  it,  is  the  concurrent  claims  of  their 
own  consciences.  When  a  child  once  begins  to  excuse 
himself  for  a  fault  alleged  against  him,  he  at  once  be- 
trays his  own  weakness.  When  a  criminal  at  the  bar 
once  begins  to  excuse  himself  for  the  crime  of  which  he 
is  indicted,  he  at  once  implicitly  confesses  his  guilt. 
And  so,  when  a  sinner  once  sets  himself  to  framing 
excuses  for  rejecting  the  Gospel,  he  only  betrays  his 
weakness,  and  implicitly  confesses  his  crime.  His 
conscience  is  ill  at  ease.  He  feels  within  his  own  bo- 
som that  he  is  doing  wrong.  He  has  not  a  conscience 
void  of  offence.  If  he  were  not  inwardly  conscious 
that  he  did  in  fact  sinfully  reject  the  Gospel,  he  would 
deny  the  charge,  and  no  longer  attempt  to  extenuate  it. 
We  may  assume  it  as  a  universal  truth,  that  whenever 
a  man  attempts  to  excuse  his  sinful  conduct,  he  himself 
is  conscious  of  his  wrong.  Conscience  was  implanted 
in  the  human  bosom  on  purpose  to  bear  this  testimony 
for  God.  It  is  not  necessary  to  refute  the  excuses 
which  men  make  for  rejecting  the  divine  mercy.  They 
themselves  have  no  confidence  in  them.  The  intuitive 
decisions  of  conscience  refute  them  all,  however  in- 
genious they  may  be.  They  know  too  well  all  "the 
wickedness  which  their  heart  is  privy  to,"  and  the  mo- 
tives which  govern  them  in  turning  a  deaf  ear  to  the 
calls  of  God.     If  there  are  instances  in  which  they  do 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  283 

not  know,  it  is  because  their  mind  and  conscience  are 
defiled  and  impaired  by  sin.  No  man,  who  believes 
the  Bible  to  be  the  word  of  God,  and  is  satisfied  that 
Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners ;  can 
deny  his  obligations  to  receive  the  Saviour,  or  question 
the  inexcusable  wickedness  of  rejecting  him.  He  may 
still  the  voice  of  conscience  for  a  time  ;  but  it  is  only 
for  a  time.  When  you  tell  him  that  the  day  is  coming 
in  which  God  will  fasten  a  sense  of  his  guilt  upon  his 
soul ;  when  you  point  him  to  a  dying  bed,  and  to  the 
scenes  of  the  Last  Judgment,  and  tell  him  that  he  will 
be  speechless  then,  and  without  excuse ;  he  feels  and 
knows  that  what  you  say  is  true,  because  he  is  even 
now  convinced  that  his  excuses  are  nothing  but  refu- 
ges of  lies. 

Men  who  reject  the  Gospel,  know  a  great  deal  of  the 
state  of  their  own  minds.  Their  consciences  do  not 
fail  them  so  often  as  we  suppose.  It  is  not  so  dark  and 
blinded,  but  it  sees  what  they  are  doing.  It  is  not  so 
bound  and  imprisoned,  that  it  cannot  speak.  It  is  not 
so  badly  instructed  and  faithless,  that  you  have  need  to 
enter  upon  a  tedious  process  of  argumentation  in  order 
to  show  them  the  sin  of  denying  and  rejecting  the  Lord 
that  bought  them.  And  when  they  feel  themselves  ob- 
liged to  enter  upon  such  a  process,  in  order  to  defend 
their  unbelief,  it  is  because  they  know  it  is  sinful,  and 
needs  the  excuses  they  oflfer.  Why  should  they  at- 
tempt to  excuse  it,  if  it  is  not  sinful ;  and  if  they  them- 
selves have  no  sense  of  its  sinfulness  ?  If  there  is  no 
guilt  in  their  rejecting  the  Gospel,  it  needs  no  excuse ; 
and  if  there  is  guilt  in  rejecting  it,  it  admits  of  none. 
We  affirm,  therefore, 

III.  In  the  third  place,  that  the  motives  which  induce 


284  THE  EXCUSES   OF  MEN 

them  to  excuse  their  conduct  in  rejecting  the  Gospel, 
only  condemn  them.  Why  is  it  that  all  begin  to  make 
excuse  when  God  sets  before  them  the  provisions  of  his 
mercy,  and  invites  them  to  become  partakers  of  this 
bounty  ? 

1.  It  is  because  they  have  an  unhumbled  mind.  It  is 
because  the  Gospel  reproaches  and  condemns  them  as 
sinners,  and  they  are  not  v^illing  to  reproach  and  con- 
demn themselves.  A  man  \v\\o  is  willing  to  acknowl- 
edge his  fault,  does  not  desire  any  excuse  for  it.  A 
man  who  sees  and  feels  the  sinfulness  of  living  in  this 
world  of  mercy,  and  being  surrounded  with  all  the 
tokens  and  memorials  of  his  Saviour's  love,  and  reject- 
ing that  love  and  mercy,  and  is  willing  honestly  to  con- 
fess his  iniquity  in  so  doing ;  does  not  seek  for  any  ex- 
cuse for  his  conduct.  He  lays  his  hand  upon  his  mouth. 
He  feels  that  he  is  without  excuse.  He  condemns 
himself,  and  wonders  that  he  is  not  consumed.  The 
motive  which  induces  him  not  to  do  this,  is  the  self- 
justifying  spirit  of  an  unhumbled  mind.  Need  I  say 
this  condemns  him  ? 

2.  Nor  is  this  disposition  to  frame  excuses  to  be  sought 
for  only  in  the  want  of  a  self-condemning  and  humble 
mind ;  but  in  the  want  of  all  present  purposes  of  for- 
saking sin.  It  is  not  the  sinner's  object,  by  making 
excuses,  to  become  a  Christian ;  but  rather  his  object 
to  keep  himself  from  becoming  a  Christian.  One  reason 
why  awakened  sinners  stay  away  so  long  from  Christ 
is,  that  they  make  so  many  excuses.  The  Gospel 
saves,  but  only  on  the  condition  of  repenting  of  sin, 
and  forsaking  it.  Where  men  have  no  present  purpose 
of  doing  this,  their  love  of  sin,  and  the  present  determi- 
nation to  practise  it,  drives  them  to  their  vain  excuses. 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  285 

Were  they  willing  to  forsake  their  sins,  they  would 
desire  no  excuse  for  rejecting  the  Gospel,  but  would 
gratefully  accept  it,  and  with  all  their  hearts.  It  is 
their  love  of  sin,  therefore,  that  originates  their  excuses. 

3.  They  take  refuge  in  their  excuses  in  order  to  sootlie 
an  awakened  conscience.  They"  mean  to  continue  in 
the  rejection  of  the  Gospel,  but  wish  to  do  it  with  the 
least  possible  self-reproach.  And  hence  these  excuses ! 
Their  object  is  to  quiet  conscience.  Very  few  persons 
have  hardihood  and  boldness  enough  to  continue  in  the 
rejection  of  the  Gospel,  without  some  open  or  secret 
apology  for  so  doing,  that  brings  at  least  a  temporary 
relief,  a  soothing  balm  for  a  wounded  and  bleeding  con- 
science. They  may  succeed  in  doing  this,  and  they 
may  not;  but  if  they  do,  they  will  certainly  destroy 
their  souls^    Let  us  pass,  then, 

IV.  To  show  the  great  danger  of  thus  making  such 
excuses. 

And  wherein  does  it  lie  ?  It  lies  simply  here. 
The  understanding  becomes  blinded  by  them,  and  the 
heart  hardened,  and  men  persevere  in  rejecting  God's 
salvation,  with  a  gradually  diminished  impression  of  the 
sinfulness  of  their  conduct,  till  they  come  to  believe  in 
the  validity  of  their  own  excuses,  and  at  length  to  feel 
that  there  is  no  sin  in  rejecting  it.  They  have  rea- 
soned sophistically  so  long,  and  so  boldly,  that  not  only 
is  their  pride  enlisted  in  defending  their  own  conclu- 
sions, but  they  themselves  confide  in  them.  When 
they  first  occurred  to  their  minds,  they  may  have 
appeared  perfectly  absurd.  No  deranged  man  ever 
reasoned  more  absurdly,  in  relation  to  things  of  this 
world,  than  men  sometimes  reason  in  order  to  ex- 
ctise  themselves   for   not   becoming   Christians.     We 


286  THE  EXCUSES  OF  MEN 

could  scarcely  believe,  if  we  did  not  know  it,  how  fool- 
ishly and  weakly  they  reason ;  yet  they  themselves, 
though  at  first  dissatisfied,  become  at  last  satisfied  with 
their  excuses.  Men,  in  this  way,  become  their  own 
deceivers  and  their  own  destroyers.  They  misinform 
and  mislead  themselves,  and  stifle  the  voice  of  con- 
science, on  purpose  that  they  may  continue  in  their 
unbelief  with  the  least  possible  self-reproach.  Then  it 
is  that  they  sin  with  great  rapidity  and  power.  No 
light  of  truth  convinces  them,  and  no  threatenings 
move  them,  and  no  voice  of  tenderness  assails  them. 
The  faint  echoes  of  a  stifled  conscience  become 
weaker  and  weaker,  and  there  is  nothing  to  hold  them 
back  from  destruction.  God  becomes  angry  with  tliem, 
and  withdraws  his  Spirit,  and  in  judgment  abandons 
them  to  their  own  delusions.  Other  things  are  dis- 
pleasing in  his  sight ;  but  when  he  sees  an  immortal 
being  ruined  by  sin,  and  for  whom  he  has  given  his 
only  Son  to  die,  making  light  of  his  proffered  mercy ; 
and  when  he  hears  him  soberly  excusing  himself  for 
rejecting  this  salvation  ;  what  wonder  if  he  should  swear 
in  his  wrath  that  he  should  never  enter  into  his  rest  ? 
The  man  who  is  willing  frankly  to  confess  that  he  has  no 
excuse,  and  who  will  confess  and  forsake  his  sins,  shall 
find  mercy ;  while  he  who  attempts  thus  to  cover  his 
iniquity,  not  only  shall  find  that  his  excuses  fail  him, 
but  that  he  has  been  deluding  and  overreaching  him- 
self,  and  treasuring  up  unto  himself  wrath  against  the 
day  of  wrath. 

*'And  they  all,  with  one  consent,  began  to  make  ex- 
cuse." What  an  indelible  reproach  is  this  to  the  hu- 
man character  !  And  yet  how  many,  among  this  audi- 
ence, have  been  living  upon  their  excuses  up  to  the 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  287 

present  hour  ?  And  even  now,  when  once  more  assured 
that  there  is  enough  in  their  heavenly  Father's  house, 
and  to  spare ;  nay,  that  there  are  wine  and  milk,  with- 
out money  and  without  price ;  that  Wisdom  has  fur- 
nished her  table,  and  that  her  oxen  and  fatlings  are 
killed,  and  all  things  are  ready  ;  are  still  saying,  "  I  pray 
thee,  have  me  excused  !" 

Bear  with  me,  a  few  moments,  while  I  set  before 
you  what  you  are  actually  doing.  You  are  a  fallen 
sinner  by  nature ;  and  all  your  days,  hare  done 
nothing  but  disobey  the  God  of  heaven,  and  abuse  his 
goodness  and  love.  His  law  condemns  you,  and  you 
will  very  soon  be  called  to  answer  its  demands  before 
his  bar.  You  live  in  a  world,  the  most  remarkable 
and  interesting  event  in  the  history  of  which  is  the 
incarnation  and  death  of  his  own  Son,  on  purpose  to 
satisfy  the  divine  justice,  which  you  yourself  can  never 
satisfy,  and  to  reconcile  you  to  God  by  the  blood  of  his 
cross.  The  blessings  of  this  salvation,  God  freely  offers 
to  you.  He  sets  life  and  death  before  you,  and  calls 
upon  you  to  choose  life,  that  you  may  live.  Jesus 
himself  stands  and  cries  in  the  midst  of  you,  "  If  any 
man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink."  God 
pledges  his  word  and  oath  to  you  that  he  is  willing  you 
should  enjoy  all  the  blessings  of  this  salvation,  both  in 
this  world,  and  that  which  is  to  come.  He  offers  them 
all  to  you  on  the  simple  condition  that  you  will  accept 
them ;  and  holds  himself  ready  and  bound  actually  to 
bestow  them  upon  you,  on  your  acceptance  of  his  offer. 

But  you  desire  to  he  excused.  To  be  excused  from 
what  ?  From  receiving  Christ  Jesus  as  he  is  offered  in 
the  Gospel.  From  accepting  pardon  at  his  hands, 
though  no  other  being  in  the  universe  can  give  you 


288  THE   EXCUSES   OP   MEN 

pardon ;  and  without  receiving  it  from  him,  you  must 
go  into  eternity  unforgiven,  and  with  all  your  sins  upon 
your  head.  From  receiving  his  pure  robe  of  righteous- 
ness, when  nothing  else  can  cover  your  shame.  From 
taking  your  place  at  his  table,  when  if  your  souls  feed 
not  on  that  bread  of  life,  you  starve  and  perish.  You 
would  be  excused  from  a  place  in  his  kingdom,  from  a 
crown  of  righteousness ;  though,  if  you  have  not  these, 
you  must  dwell  in  utter  darkness,  where  is  weeping, 
and  wailing,  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  You  would  be 
excused  from  participating  in  these  unmeasured  joys  ! 
Others  will  wear  that  crown ;  have  a  place  in  that 
kingdom ;  sit  at  that  table  ;  be  clothed  with  that  right- 
eousness ;  rejoice  in  that  society,  and  shout  that  song ; 
but  when  your  place  and  name  are  inquired  for,  as 
among  the  invited  guests,  they  learn  that  you  desired 
to  he  excused ! 

What  madness  is  this!  When  the  world  invites 
you  to  its  gayety  and  joys  ;  you  may  beg  to  be  ex- 
cused. When  sin  allures,  and  the  great  Adversary 
solicits,  and  the  world  of  darkness  and  sorrow  tempts 
and  draws  you ;  you  may  ask  to  be  excused.  But  when 
God  calls  you  ;  when  the  Saviour  entreats  you  to  come  ; 
when  heaven  invites ;  send  no  expressions  of  regret, 
make  no  excuses,  and  give  no  refusal.  No,  plead  noth- 
ing ;  but  go  at  their  bidding.  Plead  no  unworthiness  ; 
but  go  just  as  you  are.  Plead  no  poverty ;  but  go  to 
be  made  rich.  Plead  no  mean  excuse;  no  nakedness 
even ;  but  go  to  be  clothed  in  white  raiment.  Plead 
no  youth,  no  age,  no  pressure  of  worldly  business ;  but 
make  every  other  engagement  give  way  to  the  invita- 
tion of  the  King  of  kings.  Plead  for  no  future  and 
more   convenient  season ;  all  things  are  now  ready ; 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  289 

HOW  is  the  accepted  time,  and  whosoever  will  may 
come. 

But  if  you  still  insist  on  being  excused,  unreason- 
able and  wicked  as  is  your  importunity,  it  must,  for 
all  we  can  see,  be  gratified.  There  is  a  period  when 
God  sends  the  invitation  for  the  last  time,  and  when, 
on  hearing  your  perpetual  excuses,  he  says,  "  None  of 
those  men  that  were  hidden  shall  taste  of  my  supper!" 
Yes,  he  will  excuse  you  from  the  heavenly  banquet,  if 
you  are  set  on  meaner  food.  He  can  hold  the  feast 
without  you,  though  he  should  even  compel  them  to 
come  from  the  highways  and  hedges,  that  his  house 
may  be  filled.  Nay,  this  very  invitation  rejected,  and 
he  may  shut  the  door  upon  you  forever ! 

In  defiance  then  of  the  discouraging  influence  of  all 
these  subtle  and  erroneous  apologies,  I  once  more  lay 
before  you  the  invitations  of  heaven's  tenderest  mercy. 
In  his  name,  who  came  to  seek  and  save  that  which 
was  lost,  I  beg  you  not  to  venture  another,  and  perad- 
venture,  a  final  refusal.  It  may  be,  that  some  of  you 
feel  that  you  are  exposed  to  eternal  death.  You  are 
weary  and  heavy  laden,  under  the  burden  of  your 
transgressions,  and  would  fain  escape  the  coming 
wrath.  You  are  distressed,  and  anxiously  concerned 
for  the  salvation  of  your  souls.  Nor  is  it  with  any 
doubt  of  the  glorious  all-sufficiency  of  Christ  as  a  Sav- 
iour, or  any  secret  misgiving  that  you  will  not  find 
him  every  way  adequate  and  fitted  to  all  your  wants, 
that  I  proclaim  to  you  a  free  salvation  through  the  mer- 
its of  his  blood.  If  you  have  any  due  sense  of  your 
sins,  you  must  see  that  it  is  impossible  for  you  to  be  jus- 
tified by  any  righteousness  of  your  own.  The  law  you 
have  broken  ;  and  therefore  cannot  live  by  it.     Its  con- 

13 


290  THE  EXCUSES  OF  MEN 

demning  sentence  is  the  stern  and  sweeping  language, 
**  Cursed  is  every  one  that  continueth  not  in  all  things 
written  in  the  book  of  the  law  to  do  them."  The 
claim  is  just  and  unalterable.  ''If  there  had  been  a 
law  which  could  have  given  life,  verily  righteousness 
should  have  been  by  the  law.  But  the  Scripture  hath 
concluded  all  under  sin,  that  the  promise  by  faith  of 
Jesus  Christ,  might  be  given  to  them  that  believe." 
This  is  the  method  of  deliverance ;  and  it  is  vain  that 
you  look  for  any  other. 

Our  subject,  therefore,  urges  you  without  delay,  with- 
out resorting  to  any  devices  of  your  own,  to  accept  the 
only  salvation  which  infinite  love  and  wisdom  have 
devised,  or  ever  will  devise.  It  is  the  redemption  that 
is  in  Christ  Jesus — the  rich,  the  glorious  redemption 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus !  As  poor,  guilty,  perishing  sin- 
ners, repair  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  you  will  find  from  him, 
and  in  him,  all  that  your  perilous  and  ruined  condition 
requires. 

I  have  no  warrant  to  treat  with  you  at  all,  until  you 
abjure  all  your  excuses.  It  is  not  any  excusable  re- 
bellion to  which  the  Gospel  is  adapted,  but  it  is  to  the 
rebel  who  is  self-condemned,  and  to  the  sinner  who 
feels  that  he  is  without  excuse.  And  now,  if  any  of 
you  will  still  urge  your  excuses,  I  have  not  another 
word  to  say.  Your  duty  is  plain ;  and  I  leave  you  to 
plead  your  excuses  in  the  presence  of  your  Maker. 
The  claim  is  his,  and  not  mine.  He  knew  your  con- 
dition, and  all  your  excuses,  when  he  gave  his  Son  to 
die ;  and  he  knows  them  all  now,  when  he  says,  "  Come, 
for  all  things  are  ready."  Nor  will  you  refuse  to  hear 
his  voice,  except  from  radical  aversion  of  heart  to  him, 
from  an  inward  dislike  to  his  Gospel,  and  the  terms 


THEIR  CONDEMNATION.  2g| 

on  which  it  is  offered, — engendered  and  fostered  by  a 
desire  to  be  saved  in  some  other  way  than  that  which 
the  Gospel  proposes,  and  a  lurking  purpose  to  be  saved 
in  some  other  way,  or  not  to  be  saved  at  all.  I  can 
only  set  life  and  death  before  you,  and  urge  you  to 
choose  life ;  and  if  you  refuse  it,  assure  you,  in  God's 
name,  that  you  must  die  in  your  sins. 

It  is  the  King  of  heaven  himself  that  bids  you  come  ; 
and  if  there  are  those  of  you  who  still  slight  his  invita- 
tion, the  time  is  at  hand  when  you  shall  know  what 
that  Scripture  meaneth,  "  They  that  were  ready,  went 
in  with  him  to  the  marriage,  and  the  door  was  shut.*' 


SERMON  XXVI. 

SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST. 

Matthew  xxii.  42.      What  think  ye  of  Christ  ? 

This  is  a  great  question.  It  behooves  us  all  to  make 
this  inquiry.  What  are  our  views  of  him  and  his  great 
work  ?  Is  he  altogether  lovely  in  our  eyes,  and  pre- 
cious to  our  hearts  ?  Do  we  trust  him  as  the  Incar- 
nate Son  of  God,  and  submit  to  him  as  the  anointed 
King  of  Zion  ?  Is  he  our  joy,  our  confidence,  our 
all?  According  to  a  man's  practical  judgment  in 
these  matters,  are  his  state  and  character.  His  thoughts 
on  other  subjects  will  be  greatly  influenced  by  his  view 
of  this.  His  spirit,  his  conduct,  and  his  destiny  are  all 
influenced  by  his  views  of  Christ.  We  have  more  to 
do  with  Christ  than  with  any  other  being  in  the  uni- 
verse. And  the  Bible  has  more  to  say  of  him  than  of 
any  other. 

I.  The  first  and  most  important  fact  which  is  re- 
vealed concerning  Christ  is,  that  he  is  truly  and  prop- 
erly God. 

His  divinity  is  the  foundation  on  which  the  Christian 
system  rests.  "  To  us  a  child  is  horn,"  says  the 
Prophet  Isaiah,  "  to  us  a  Son  is  given,  and  his  name 
shall  he  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  Mighty  God, 
the  Everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace^  "  Out 
of  thee,  thou  Bethlehem  of  Judah'''  says  the   Prophet 


SCRIPTURAL   VIEWS   OF  CHRIST.  293 

Micah,  *'  shall  he  come  forth  unto  me,  that  is  to  be 
Ruler  in  Israel,  and  his  going  forth  is  from  the  begin- 
ning, from  the  days  of  eternity."  In  a  style  peculiarly 
his  own,  and  lofty  as  his  subject,  the  inspired  Evangelist 
affirms,  "  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word 
was  with  God,  and  the  Word  was  God.  "  He  thought 
it  no  robbery,''  says  the  Apostle, "  to  be  equal  with  God." 

His  works  attest  his  divinity.  ''  All  things  were 
made  by  him,  and  without  him  was  not  anything 
made  that  was  made."  His  authority  attests  it ;  for 
in  his  own  name,  he  issues  the  laws  of  the  God  of 
heaven.  His  promises  attest  it ;  for  they  are  such  as 
God  only  can  make,  and  fulfil.  The  final  Judgment 
attests  it ;  for  life  and  death  are  decided  by  his  sentence ; 
and  the  eternal  destiny  of  all  intelligent  beings  is  sus- 
pended on  his  pleasure.  It  is  a  fact  of  deep  and  ever- 
lasting interest  therefore,  that  Christ  is  no  other  than 
the  God  of  heaven  and  earth ;  the  Lord  and  Creator, 
and  Judge  of  the  universe.  He  it  is  who  was,  and  is, 
and  is  to  come.  He  it  is  who  is  worshipped  by  all  the 
heavenly  hosts,  and  receives  their  everlasting  praise 
and  adorations.  Look  up,  and  behold  your  Lord  and 
Redeemer.  At  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow, 
and  every  tongue  confess  that  he  is  Lot'd  to  the  glory 
of  God  the  Father. 

II.  Another  fact  revealed  concerning  Christ  is,  that 
he  became  incarnate  and  dwelt  among  men. 

God  is  one  in  nature,  and  three  in  Persons.  This 
Trinity  of  Persons  in  the  Godhead  includes  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  These  three  exist  from 
eternity  in  the  same  undivided  nature,  with  the  same 
power,  the  same  wisdom,  and  the  same  equality  of  all 
perfection.     They  are  consequently  the  same  one,  in- 


294  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST. 

comprehensible  and  Eternal  God  ;  because  in  each  of 
them  the  Divinity  is  the  same.  The  second  of  these 
is  the  Eternal  Son;  the  Word  that  was  made  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us.  A  real  and  substantial  union  of  the 
divine  and  human  nature  has  taken  place  in  the  Person 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  so  that  he  is  become  both  God  and 
man.  From  the  early  promise  made  to  our  first 
parents  in  Eden,  this  consolatory  truth  was  revealed 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  more  and  more 
distinctly  revealed,  through  a  long  series  of  ages,  till 
the  branch  rose  from  the  root  of  Jessee ;  till  the  Virgin 
conceived  and  brought  forth  her  Son;  till  the  child  was 
horn,  who  should  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David,  and  of 
whose  kingdom  there  should  he  no  end.  After  the  lapse 
of  four  thousand  years  from  the  apostasy,  the  angel 
Gabriel  was  sent  to  Mary  with  the  message,  "  Behold, 
thou  shalt  conceive  and  bring  forth  a  son,  and  shalt 
call  his  name  Jesus'^  He  is  God,  because  he  retains 
the  same  divine  nature,  which  he  had,  and  always  will 
have  from  eternity  to  eternity  ;  and  he  is  man,  because 
having  assumed  the  nature  of  man,  by  uniting  to  him- 
self a  true  body  and  a  reasonable  soul,  he  was  placed 
in  a  state  of  perfect  dependence  ;  was  accountable  to 
God,  like  other  men ;  and  like  all  other  men,  was  in  a 
state  of  trial,  from  his  birth  to  his  death. 

It  may  not  be  supposed  that  God  altered  in  his  nature, 
or  by  any  change  in  his  divinity  was  transformed  into 
man ;  nor  that  the  divinity  was  mixed  or  blended  with 
human  nature,  so  as  to  form  out  of  the  two  a  com- 
pounded nature,  which  should  be  neither  human  nor 
divine.  Though  the  two  natures  really  and  substan- 
tially unite,  yet  each  remains  entire  in  itself ;  so  that 
by  the  one,  Christ  is  inferior,  by  the  other,  he  is  equal  to 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST.  295 

the  Father  in  all  things.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  the 
Bible,  concerning  the  mystery  of  the  Incarnation. 
We  frankly  acknowledge  it  is  a  fact  beyond  the  natural 
comprehension  of  men.  We  say  concerning  it  as  Paul 
said,  "  Great  is  the  mystery  of  godliness,  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh !"  We  should  not  credit  it  upon  any  other 
than  the  divine  testimony.  And  is  it  not  a  mystery, 
so  full  of  goodness  on  the  part  of  God,  that  it  claims 
our  most  grateful  homage  ? — unfathomable  indeed,  but 
the  depth  of  his  mercy  and  grace !  The  great  God, 
infinitely  and  completely  happy  within  himself,  assumed 
our  nature  with  all  its  pains  and  miseries;  the  God 
omnipotent  and  immortal,  assumed  our  weakness,  and 
dwelt  in  mortal  flesh.  O  thou  divine  Redeemer!  to 
redeem  a  slave,  thou  hast  descended  from  thy  throne  ; 
thou  hast  become  like  one  of  us ! 

III.  Another  fact  revealed  concerning  Jesus  Christ 
is,  that  he  died  to  make  an  atonement  for  the  sins  of 
men. 

The  low  estate  in  which  he  was  born,  well  answered 
to  the  great  purpose  for  which  he  came.  The  shep- 
herds of  Bethlehem  found  Joseph  and  Mary,  and  the 
infant  lying  in  the  manger.  It  was  by  this  humble 
.  assumption  of  our  nature,  that  he  rendered  himself 
capable  of  making  an  adequate  atonement  for  our  sins. 
From  the  moment  of  his  birth  he  became  the  humble, 
obedient  sufferer.  And  from  that  moment,  he  began 
the  work  of  our  redemption.  ''It  became  him,  hy 
whom  are  all  things,  to  make  the  Captain  of  our  sal- 
vation perfect  through  sufferings." 

We  had  become  the  slaves  of  sin,  fettered  by  the 
curse,  and  bound  over  to  eternal  death.  But  he  as- 
sumed our  guilt,  and  took  our  chains.     He  has  blotted 


296  SCRIPTURAL   VIEWS    OP  CHRIST. 

out  the  hand- writing  that  was  against  us ;  has  effaced 
the  otherwise  indeUble  mark  of  reprobation ;  and  raised 
us  to  the  adoption  of  sons.  The  divinity  of  his  Person 
stamped  an  efficacy  upon  his  sacrifice,  that  made  it 
effectual  to  all  who  believe  ;  while  it  opened  the  door 
of  hope  to  our  lost  race,  which  had  otherwise  been 
shut  forever. 

Under  the  law,  almost  all  things  were  purified  with 
hlood;  and  without  the  shedding  of  blood,  there  is  no 
remission.  For  the  first  four  thousand  years  of  the 
world,  the  bloody  sacrifices  of  the  Patriarchal  and 
Mosaic  economy  led  all  those  who  feared  God  to  look 
for  this  great  sacrifice  of  his  Son.  It  was  impossible 
that  the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  should  take  away  sin. 
These  sacrifices  were  limited  in  their  duration,  and 
only  prefigured  the  mighty  Christian  sacrifice,  the  great 
propitiation  of  Jesus  Christ,  who,  through  the  Eternal 
Spirit  offered  up  himself  unto  God.  Though  he  knew  no 
sin,  yet  was  he  made  sin  for  us,  that  we  might  be  made 
the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.  How  often  do  the 
Scriptures  express  this  truth,  in  all  their  own  impres- 
siveness  and  variety.  *'  The  Lord  hath  laid  on  him 
the  iniquity  of  us  all :" — "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world  :^' — "  The  Son 
of  Man  is  come  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many :" — 
"  This  is  my  blood  of  the  new  covenant  which  is  shed 
for  many,  for  the  remission  of  sins  ;" — "  Christ  died 
for  the  ungodly:^ — '^ Re  hath  redeemed  us  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us  .*" — "  His 
own  self  bare  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  treeP 
The  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  the  Propitiation  for 
sin !  My  friends,  what  shall  we  say  of  it  ? — Interesting, 
but   solemn  fact !     Joyful,  but   mournful   topic !    0 ! 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST.  29T 

who  was  it  that  suffered  ? — what  did  he  suffer  '^—for 
whom  did  he  suffer  ?  Think  of  Him, — the  Father's 
fellow,  and  the  church's  Shepherd.  Think  of  the  Gar- 
den and  the  Cross,  and  see  how  they  demonstrate,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  enormity  of  our  guilt,  and  on  the 
other,  the  force  of  his  Almighty  love.  Think  of  the 
debased  and  abject  character  of  those  for  whom  he 
died  ; — men  born  in  sin,  forgetful  of  every  obligation, 
and  the  enemies  of  God !  O !  it  was  the  hour  of 
Satan's  triumph  and  the  power  of  darkness,  when  they 
nailed  him  to  the  cross !  Little  did  they  anticipate  in 
this  tragical  event  the  pledge  of  their  own  defeat  and 
shame.  That  man  of  sorrows  is  the  Saviour  of  the 
world!  That  naked,  bleeding  victim,  is  the  Mighty 
Champion  and  Conqueror  of  death  and  hell !  O  what 
triumphs  of  love,  of  holiness,  of  heaven  were  there, 
when  the  earth  trembled  ;  and  the  sun  grew  dark  ;  and 
the  veil  of  the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  from  the  top 
to  the  bottom ;  and  the  rocks  rent  asunder  ;  and  the 
graves  gave  up  their  dead  ;  and  hell  itself  was  moved 
with  terror  ;  and  the  Great  Redeemer  exclaimed,  "  It 
is  finished,"  and  gave  up  the  ghost  ! 

IV.  Another  fact  in  relation  to  Jesus  Christ,  is  that, 
at  the  predicted  period,  he  rose  from  the  dead. 

Soon  after  Jesus  had  expired,  Joseph  of  Arimathea 
went  to  Pilate,  and  obtained  the  body,  and  took  it  down 
from  the  cross,  and  having  wrapped  it  in  a  clean  linen 
cloth,  laid  it  in  his  own  sepulchre.  Jesus  had  often 
mentioned  before  his  death,  that  on  ''  the  third  day  he 
should  rise  again.""  The  better,  therefore,  to  secure 
his  body,  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  sealed  up  the 
stone  that  was  upon  the  mouth  of  the  tomb,  and  placed 
around  it  a  guard  of  soldiers.     But  in  vain  did  the 

13* 


298  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST. 

Heathen  rage,  and  the  Princes  take  counsel  together 
against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  Christ.  Early  in 
the  morning,  on  the  third  day  after  his  crucifixion,  the 
earth  shook ;  an  appointed  angel  descended  from  heaven 
and  rolled  back  the  stone  that  was  at  the  mouth  of  the 
sepulchre,  and  sat  upon  it :  and  by  his  own  divine 
power,  the  Saviour  rose.  About  the  dawn  of  day, 
Mary  Magdalene,  and  some  other  devout  women  were 
repairing  to  the  sepulchre  to  embalm  the  body,  but  un- 
expectedly, even  to  them,  his  body  was  not  to  be  found. 
As  the  stone  was  rolled  back  and  the  cave  open,  they 
entered  into  the  sepulchre,  and  behold  an  angel  was 
sitting  there  robed  in  white.  And  they  were  afraid ; 
but  the  angel  said  unto  them,  "  Fear  not  ye ;  for  I 
know  that  ye  seek  Jesus  which  was  crucified.  He  is 
not  here ;  for  he  is  risen  as  he  said :  come  see  the  place 
where  the  Lord  lay."  On  the  intimation  of  Mary,  Peter 
and  John  hastened  to  the  sepulchre,  but  found  only  the 
clothes  in  which  the  body  of  Jesus  had  been  wrapped. 
They  wondered  and  departed.  To  remove  all  doubt 
concerAing  the  reality  of  his  resurrection,  Jesus  him- 
self, on  the  very  day  on  which  he  rose  from  the  -dead, 
publicly  announced  the  event  by  his  own  living  voice, 
and  showed  himself  alive  to  a  number  of  his  followers, 
and  conversed,  and  ate  with  them,  and  reminded  them 
of  what  he  had  said  to  them  before  his  death,  upon  the 
subject  of  his  resurrection. 

In  the  resurrection  of  Christ  we  have  the  strongest 
proof  of  the  truth  of  the  religion  he  came  to  establish, 
the  strongest  consolation  of  his  followers,  and  the  most 
decisive  victory  thus  far  gained  over  the  powers  of 
darkness.  Had  he  died  and  seen  corruption,  he  had 
been  like  other  men  who  sleep  in  the  grave,  and  min- 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS   OF  CHRIST.  299 

gle  with  the  dust.  But  the  degradation  of  his  death  is 
now  lost  in  the  glory  of  his  revival  from  the  dead* 
Death  is  disarmed,  and  no  longer  holds  his  dominion 
over  him.  He  has  gained  the  victory ;  and  eternal 
thanks  to  God,  who  hath  thus  given  us  the  victory, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord !  It  is  in  view  of  this 
glorious  triumph  of  our  Lord,  that  Job  exclaims,  '*  I 
know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand 
at  the  latter  day  on  the  earth,  and  though  after  my  shin 
worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see 
God  /"  And  that  Peter  exclaims,  "  Blessed  be  the  God 
and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who,  according 
to  his  abundant  mercy,  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a 
lively  hope,  through  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ, 
from  the  dead  /"  And  in  view  of  it,  let  us  say,  "  To 
him  be  glory  forever  arid  ever  V  This  is  he  ^^  that 
liveth  and  was  dead,  and  is  alive  for  evermore,  and 
hath  the  keys  of  death  and  of  hell."  This  is  he, — the 
first  begotten  of  the  dead — the  Prince  of  the  kings  of 
the  earth — through  whom  cometh  to  pass  that  saying, 
which  is  written,  "  O  death  !  where  is  thy  sting  ?  O 
grave !  where  is  thy  victory  ? 

V.  Another  fact  the  Scriptures  reveal  concerning 
Christ  is,  that  he  is  ascended  into  heaven,  and  sits  at 
the  right  hand  of  God. 

He  remained  upon  the  earth,  after  his  resurrection, 
forty  days.  On  the  fortieth  day,  he  led  forth  his  dis- 
ciples to  a  high  mountain,  not  far  from  Jerusalem, 
where  he  lifted  up  'his  hands  and  blessed  them,  and  as 
he  blessed  them,  rose  through  the  air,  till  a  cloud  re- 
ceived him  out  of  their  sight.  In  the  language  of  the 
Evangelist,  *'  he  was  received  up  into  heaven,  and  sat 
at  the  right  hand  of  God"     The  right  hand  of  God  is 


300  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST. 

the  first  place  of  honor  and  power  in  the  universe. 
Thither  Jesus  ascended,  not  alone,  but  conducted  by 
an  innumerable  train  of  the  heavenly  hosts.  In  his 
human,  as  well  as  his  divine  nature,  he  is  raised  far 
above  all  principality,  and  power,  and  might,  and  do- 
minion, and  every  name  that  is  named,  not  only  in  this 
world,  but  also  in  that  which  is  to  come.  Being  the 
brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express  image 
of  his  person,  he  is  elevated  as  far  above  the  angels, 
"  as  he  hath  by  inheritance,  a  more  excellent  name  than 
they.  For  unto  which  of  the  angels,  hath  the  Father 
said  at  any  time.  Thou  art  my  Son ;  this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee  ?  But  to  the  Son  he  saith,  thy  throne,  O 
God,  is  forever  and  ever.  A  sceptre  of  righteousness 
is  the  sceptre  of  thy  kingdom.  Thou  hast  loved  right- 
eousness and  hated  iniquity  ;  therefore  God,  even  thy 
God,  hath  anointed  thee  loith  the  oil  of  gladness  above 
thy  fellows."  There  is  nothing  higher,  and  nothing 
greater,  within  the  glory  and  blessedness  of  heaven, 
than  that  to  which  Christ  Jesus  is  exalted.  United 
with  the  Deity  as  he  is,  he  holds  the  same  sovereign 
dominion  with  the  Father,  over  all  creatures,  and  is 
especially  "  head  over  all  things  to  the  church.^''  There 
he  reigns  as  the  "  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth.'^ 
There  he  reigns  to  rule,  enrich,  and  protect  his  people. 
Having  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led  captivity  captive. 
There  he  lives  to  send  down  the  renovating  and  sanc- 
tifying grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  to  give  gifts  to  men, 
that  the  Lord  God  might  dwell  among  them.  "  I  tell  you 
the  truth,''  said  he  to  his  disciples,  "  it  is  expedient  for 
you  that  I  go  away  ;  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  comforter 
will  not  come  to  you.  But  if  I  go,  I  will  send  him  to 
you,  that  he  may  abide  with  you  forever.'^     In  him  are 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST.  30I 

boundless  resources  of  wisdom,  grace,  and  strength, 
peace,  light  and  joy,  for  the  comfort  and  edification  of 
his  saints  in  every  age.  Nothing  can  harm  the  friends 
of  God  and  holiness,  while  Christ  is  on  the  throne. 
There  are  no  trials  they  cannot  sustain,  no  dangers 
they  cannot  encounter,  no  enemies  they  cannot  van- 
quish, so  long  as  "  it  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather 
that  is  risen  again,  and  who  is  ever  at  the  right  hand 
of  God.''*  Suffer  for  a  while,  they  may ;  but  nothing 
shall  separate  them  from  the  love  of  Christ.  Struggle 
for  awhile,  they  may ;  but  their  struggles  will  soon  be 
over,  and  their  conflicts  will  be  remembered,  only  by 
the  conquests  they  have  won,  and  the  grace  through 
which  they  obtained  the  victory.     I  add, 

VI.  Another  fact  which  the  Scriptures  reveal  con- 
cerning Christ,  which,  though  not  yet  realized,  is  as 
certain  as  though  it  were  already  past,  is,  that  at  the 
end  of  the  world,  he  will  once  more  appear,  and  as  the 
Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead. 

When  he  ascended  up  into  heaven  from  Mount  Oli- 
vet, and  in  the  presence  of  his  gazing  and  astonished 
disciples,  and  while  their  eyes  were  following  him  till 
a  cloud  received  him  out  of  their  sight,  behold  two  an- 
gels appeared  in  white  apparel,  and  said  unto  them, 
"  Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  here,  gazing  up  into 
heaven  ?  this  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you 
into  heaven,  shall  so  come,  in  like  manner,  as  ye  have 
seen  him  go  into  heaven."  The  Prophet  Daniel  "  saw 
in  the  night  visions,  and  behold  One,  like  the  Son  of 
Man,  came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the 
Ancient  of  days,  and  they  brought  him  near  before  him^ 
and  there  was  given  him  dominion  and  glory. ''^  Christ 
himself  foretold  the  signs  of  his  coming,  when  he  said 


302  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST. 

to  his  disciples,  "  Then  shall  appear  the  sign  of  the  Son 
of  Man  in  heaven ;  and  then  shall  all  the  tr'ibes  of  the 
earth  mourn,  when  they  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming 
in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  with  power  and  great  glory, ^^ 
In  the  most  minute  description  of  the  day  of  judgment 
given  in  the  Scriptures,  he  also  says,  *'  When  the  Son 
of  Man  shall  come  in  his  glory,  and  all  the  holy  angels 
with  him,  then  shall  he  sit  upon  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
and  before  him  shall  be  gathered  all  nations.''^  Just  as 
he  was  about  to  ascend  to  heaven,  he  assured  his  dis- 
ciples that  "  he  would  come  again,  and  receive  them  unto 
hirnself.'^  Paul  too  directed  the  Thessalonians  to  "  wait 
for  the  Son  of  God  from  heaven  f  and  tells  them,  that 
"  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend  with  a  shout,  with  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the  trump  of  God.  And  to 
the  Hebrews  he  says,  "  So  Christ  was  oiicc  offered  to 
bear  the  sins  of  many  ;  and  unto  them  that  look  for  him, 
shall  he  appear  the  second  time,  without  sin,  unto  salva- 
tion." And  in  the  Apocalypse,  the  beloved  disciple 
exclaims  ;  "  Behold  he  cometh  ivith  clouds,  and  every  eye 
shall  see  him,  and  they  also  ivhich  pierced  him.'^ 

It  is  one  of  the  glorious  truths  of  the  Bible,  that  Je- 
sus Christ  shall  once  more  appear  to  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead.  At  the  end  of  the  w^orld;  when  the 
method  of  redemption  shall  have  accomplished  the  de- 
signs for  which  it  was  devised,  and  the  human  family 
are  ripe  for  the  last  judgment ;  Jesus  shall  appear,  not 
as  the  infant  of  days,  but  as  the  Everlasting  Father, — 
not  as  the  forsaken  and  despised  one,  but  as  the  Prince 
of  life  and  the  first  begotten  from  the  dead, — to  call 
before  him  all  the  nations  of  men ;  to  assemble  the 
world  to  judgment ;  to  call  together  the  holy  tribes  and 
proclaim  their  release  from  sin  and  woe ;  to  announce 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST.  393 

that  he  is  King  in  Zion ;  to  welcome  the  righteous  to 
his  kingdom ;  and  to  sentence  the  wicked  to  their  long 
dreaded  abodes  of  sorrow  and  shame. 

This  will  be  the  day  on  which  the  Son  of  Man  will 
be  glorified  in  his  saints  and  admired  in  all  them  that 
believe.  Then  will  he  irreversibly  determine  the  des- 
tinies of  angels  and  men,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
stop  every  mouth  and  murmur  forever.  And  then  will 
he  retire  to  his  throne  and  kingdom,  to  communicate 
his  love  to  his  people,  and  to  receive  their  grateful  and 
adoring  acknowledgments  in  the  cheerful  obedience  of 
eternity,  and  in  the  rapturous  song,  "  Worthy  is  the 
Lamb,  that  was  slain,  who  hath  redeemed  us  unto  God 
by  his  blood  /" 

Such  are  some  of  the  leading  facts  which  the  Scrip- 
tures reveal  concerning  Jesus  Christ ; — facts,  which  lie 
at  the  foundation  of  all  the  truths  of  revealed  religion, 
and  all  the  hopes  and  blessedness  of  the  redeemed  on 
earth  and  in  heaven.  And  in  view  of  them,  we  re- 
mark, 

1.  With  what  propriety  does  the  Bible  ascribe  su- 
preme and  everlasting  glory  to  Christ !  No  wonder 
the  work  of  creation,  of  providence,  and  of  grace, 
should  develop  their  mysteries  and  be  brought  to  their 
final  termination  by  ascribing  everlasting  glory  to 
Christ.  Christ  is  the  glory  of  the  whole.  All  things 
were  made  by  him  and  for  him.  He  is  the  Alpha  and 
Omega,  the  centre  and  final  issue.  Of  the  song  of  the 
unnumbered  multitudes  around  the  throne,  he  is  the 
delightful  theme.  The  name  of  Jesus  employs  every 
harp,  the  glory  of  Jesus  sounds  sweet  from  every 
string.  "  Worthy — worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  !'* 
sounds  from  ten  thousand  arches  of  the  universe ;  while, 


304  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST. 

with  their  own  new  song  and  emphasis,  is  echoed  by  the 
myriads  of  the  redeemed, — "/or  he  was  slain— for  he 
was  slain  for  us  /"  The  fallen  and  the  unfallen,  place 
the  crown  on  the  head  of  Jesus.  Dominion  and  glory 
they  give  to  him.  Everything  bows  at  the  feet  of  Je- 
sus. And  there,  let  us  bow  and  give  him  the  honor  of 
the  sea  as  well  as  the  dry  land !  What  think  ye  of 
Christ  ?  O,  let  our  eye  be  fixed  on  him  ;  let  our  hearts 
become  his  throne  and  altar;  let  our  hps  be  forever 
vocal  with  his  praise  !  Let  the  sea  roar,  and  the  waters 
clap  their  hands,  because  Christ  is  King ! 

2.  With  what  truth  and  force,  may  it  be  said,  in  the 
second  place,  that  Christ  is  precious  to  them  that  be- 
lieve 1  He  ever  has  been  so,  from  the  days  of  his  first 
revelation  in  the  garden  of  Eden  to  the  present  hour. 
Abraham  '*  rejoiced  to  see  Christ's  day,  and  he  saw  it 
and  was  glad''  Moses  esteemed  him  more  precious 
that  all  the  treasures  of  Egypt.  David  esteemed  him 
"fairer  than  the  children  of  men."  The  Church  in  her 
divine  songs  speaks  of  him  as  the  "  rose  of  Sharon  and 
the  lily  of  the  valleys  ;  as  "  the  chief  among  ten  thou- 
sand and  altogether  lovely;"  and  as  the  one  whom 
'*  her  soul  loveth.^^  The  wise  men  of  the  East  adored 
him.  Simeon  took  him  up  in  his  arms,  and  said,  "  Now 
Lord,  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation  /"  And  to  holy  men  wher- 
ever found,  Jesus  is  precious.  "  The  upright  love  thee" 
"  Whom  having  not  seen,  they  love  ;  in  whom,  though 
now  they  see  him  not,  yet  believing,  they  rejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

And  why  should  not  Christ  be  precious  to  us  all — to 
seamen,  as  well  as  landsmen  ?  It  was  for  seamen  that 
he  died,  and  rose,  and  lives,  and  reigns.     In  his  tender- 


SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OF  CHRIST.  305 

ness  and  love  the  most  exposed  mariner  on  the  ocean, 
is  just  as  secure  as  the  feeblest  lamb  of  his  flock  on  the 
land.  In  his  power  and  faithfulness,  his  mercy  and 
care,  we  have  resources  that  never  fail.  If  we  did  but 
love  him,  we  should  know  what  that  Scripture  mean- 
eth,  "  he  that  toucheth  them,  toucheth  the  apple  of  his 
eye!"  He  will  indeed  care  for  us,  if  we  love  him.  We 
shall  be  nourished  in  his  bosom,  when  this  world  sjiall 
have  passed  away. 

To  you,  who  have  been  born  of  God ;  who  have 
been  made  sensible  of  your  perishing  condition,  and 
felt  your  need  of  Christ  as  a  Saviour  ;  and  who  have 
placed  all  your  hopes  on  him ;  well  may  Christ  be  pre- 
cious. And  if  he  is  precious  now,  he  will  be  precious 
forever.  In  all  your  duties  and  trials  he  will  be  pre- 
cious. When  the  world  loses  its  charms,  he  will  be- 
come more  glorious  and  lovely  than  ever.  When 
death  invades,  he  will  become  its  mighty  conqueror. 
When  you  sleep  beneath  the  clods  of  the  valley,  he  will 
be  the  resurrection  and  the  life.  When  the  hooks  shall 
he  opened,  and  small  and  great  shall  stand  hefore  God, 
the  precious  Saviour  shall  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven, 
and  you  shall  go  to  he  ever  with  the  Lord ;  he  shall  be 
doubly  precious,  and  more  and  more  precious  through 
nterminable  ages.     I  add, 

3.  One  word  to  you  who  are  still  strangers  to  Christ. 
My  friends,  you  know  not  what  you  do.  If  you  have 
no  interest  in  the  great  realities  disclosed  in  the  history 
of  Jesus  Christ,  lamentable  is  your  case  indeed.  Here 
in  the  person  and  work  of  Christ,  you  may  see  the  only 
means  of  expiating  your  guilt,  and  the  only  means  of 
your  moral  renovation ;  the  only  means  of  salvation 
from  the  condemning  sentence  when  you  stand  in  the 


306  SCRIPTURAL  VIEWS  OP  CHRIST. 

judgment ;  deliverance  from  hell  and  advancement  to 
heaven.  Here  is  the  eternal  favor  of  God,  when  all 
the  nations  die.  Here  are  the  peace  and  joy  of  his 
right  hand,  when  the  earth  itself  shall  be  dissolved,  and 
the  heavens  shall  be  rolled  together  as  a  scroll,  and  the 
sea  shall  be  burnt  up.  And  they  may  he  yours.  Christ, 
the  great  Author  of  them,  offers  them  to  you.  Christ, 
the  great  Giver,  brings  them  within  your  reach,  to-day. 
O  that  I  could  persuade  you  they  may  he  yours !  Away 
with  that  vile  suggestion,  that  they  are  not /or  you!  I 
have  searched  the  Bible,  and  I  have  searched  the  book 
of  providence,  and  I  cannot  find  a  single  consideration 
within  the  government  of  God,  that  does  not  warrant 
you  to  make  them  yours.  What,  then,  think  ye  of 
Christ  ?  Look  up  and  behold  him.  On  the  cross  his 
divinity  lies  concealed ;  and  as  one  forsaken  of  heaven 
and  abhorred  of  earth,  he  bleeds  and  dies.  But  in 
heaven,  he  lives  and  reigns.  And  through  faith  in  his 
blood,  who  liveth,  and  was  dead,  and  is  alive  for  ever- 
more, you  may  live  and  reign  with  him  forever. 


THE  BURIAL  OF  THE  DEAD. 


Dust  thou  art,  and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return.  Man 
that  is  born  of  a  woman  is  of  few  days ;  he  cometh 
forth  Kke  a  flower,  and  is  cut  down ;  he  fleeth  also  as 
a  shadow,  and  continueth  not.  I  know  that  thou  will 
bring  me  to  death,  to  the  house  appointed  for  all  the 
living.  Is  there  not  an  appointed  time  to  man  upon 
earth  ;  are  not  his  days  cast  as  the  days  of  an  hireling  ? 
We  are  strangers  and  sojourners,  as  were  all  our 
fathers ;  our  days  upon  earth  are  as  a  shadow,  and 
there  is  none  abiding.  Behold,  our  days  are  as  an 
handbreath,  and  our  age  is  as  nothing ;  verily,  every 
man  at  his  best  estate  is  altogether  vanity. 

"  Our  Father  which  art  in  heaven,  hallowed  be  thy 
name !  Thy  kingdom  come ;  thy  will  be  done  on 
earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven.  Give  us  this  day  our  daily 
bread.  Forgive  us  our  debts,  as  we  forgive  our  debtors. 
Lead  us  not  into  temptation  ;  but  deliver  us  from  evil ! 
For  thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory 
forever ! 

O  thou  who  art  the  Lord  of  the  living  and  the  dead, 
and  the  God  of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh  !  Thou,  O  Lord, 
turnest  man  to  destruction,  and  sayest,  return  ye  chil- 
dren of  men.  A  thousand  years  in  thy  sight  are  but 
as  yesterday  when  it  is  past,  and  as  a  watch  in  the 


308  THE  BURIAL   OP  THE   DEAD. 

night.  We  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before 
thee,  and  are  not  worthy  to  be  called  thy  children. 
It  is  but  the  just  judgment  of  thy  pure  and  holy  law, 
that  we  die  and  return  to  the  dust.  When  thou,  O 
Lord,  dost  rebuke  man  for  his  iniquity,  thou  makest 
his  beauty  to  consume  away  hke  the  moth.  Thou 
changest  the  fashion  of  his  countenance,  and  sendeth 
him  away.  But  thou,  O  Lord,  art  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting,  and  of  thy  years  there  is  no  end.  The 
Lord  liveth,  and  blessed  be  our  Rock,  and  let  the  God 
of  our  salvation  be  exalted  ! 

We  thank  thee,  O  most  merciful  God,  for  the  rev- 
elation of  thy  truth  and  grace  in  the  Gospel  of  thy 
Son,  in  whose  name  alone  we  approach  thee,  in  this, 
the  day  of  thy  rebuke  and  our  calamity.  For  his  sake, 
we  pray  thee,  blot  out  all  our  sins,  and  remember  them 
not  against  us.  Cast  them  behind  thy  back,  and  drown 
them  as  in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  Create  within  us  a 
clean  heart,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  us.  Grant 
us  the  influence  of  thy  good  Spirit  to  guide  and  sanc- 
tify us,  that,  while  we  live,  we  may  live  sober  and 
godly  lives ;  that  when  we  die,  we  may  die  the  death 
of  the  righteous  ;  and  when  we  stand  before  thy  bar, 
we  may  be  accepted  in  him  who  liveth  and  was  dead, 
and  is  alive  for  evermore.     Amen  ! 

Since  it  has  pleased  Almighty  God,  in  his  holy  prov- 
idence, to  remove  one  of  our  ship's  company  by  death, 
we  now  commit  his  body  to  the  deep.  \_Here  let  the 
corpse  he  launched  over  hoard.']  There  to  rest  until 
the  earth  and  the  sea  shall  give  up  their  dead.  The 
dust  shall  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit 
to  God  who  gave  it,  there  to  be  judged,  every  man  ac- 
cording to  his  works,  whether  they  be  good  or  bad. 


THE   BURIAL   OF  THE   DEAD.  399 

Do  thou  grant,  O  Lord,  that  we  thy  servants,  may 
make  a  wise  improvement  of  this  solemn  and  affecting 
event,  and  henceforth  learn  so  to  number  our  days, 
that  we  may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom.  May  we 
know  whom  we  have  believed,  and  be  persuaded  that 
he  is  able  to  keep  that  we  have  committed  to  him 
until  the  day  of  his  coming.  We  bless  thee  that  he 
has  said  to  all  his  true  disciples,  "  Because  I  live,  ye 
shall  live  also !"  May  the  Spirit  of  him  who  raised  up 
Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  also  quicken  our  mortal 
bodies  by  his  Spirit  that  dwelleth  in  us  !  Through  him 
who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  and  in  whom,  if  a 
man  believe,  though  he  were  dead  yet  he  shall  live,  do 
thou  grant  that  we  may  all  at  last  hear  those  blessed 
words,  "  Come  ye  children  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  O  Lord,  hear  us.  Christ  have  mercy  upon 
us.  Lamb  of  God  who  takest  away  the  sin  of  the 
world,  regard  our  prayers  ! 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of 
God  the  Father,  and  the  fellowship  and  communion  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  be  with  us  all !     Amen  ! 


THE    END. 


